C.    J.    FOLSOM, 

Bookseller  and  Stationer, 

40  FUI.TOi\, 

One  door  above  Pearl.st.  N.  Y. 


Cj 


UCSB   LIBRARY 


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TOILETTE 


HEALTH,  BEAUTY,  AND  FASHION: 

EMBRACING 

THE  ECONOMY  OF  THE  BE.IRD,  BREATH,  COMPLEXION, 
EARS,  EYES,  EYE-BROWS,  EYE-LASHES,  FEET,  FORE- 
HEAD, GUMS,  HAIR,  HEAD,  HANDS,  LIPS,  MOUTH, 
MUSTACHIOS,   NAILS    OF  THE    TOES,  NAILS 
OF    THE    FINGERS,   NOSE,    SKIN,   TEETH, 
TONGUE,  &c.     &c. 

INCLUDING 

THE  COMFORTS  OF  DRESS 
AND  THE  DECORATIONS  OF  THE  NECK  ; 

ALSO 

THE  TREATMENT    OF    THE    DISCOLORATIONS  OF  THE  SKIN, 
CORNS — ERUPTIONS — SPOTS — PIMPLES, 

SCORBUTIC  OR  SPONGY  GUMS, 

TAINTED  BREATH— TOOTH-ACHE— CARIOUS,  OR  DE- 
CAYED  TEETH— WARTS— WHITLOWS, 

PREVENTION  OF   BALDNESS,  GREY   HAIR,  ETC. 

WITH 

DIRECTIONS    FOR    THE  USE  OF  MOST  SAFE    AND    SALUTARY 

COSMETICS — PERFUMES — ESSENCES — SIMPLE 

WATERS — DEPILATORIES,  AND  OTHER  PREPARATIONS 

TO     REMOVE     SUPERFLUOUS     HAIR,     TAN, 

EXCRESCENCES,    ETC. 

AND    A    VARIETY    OF 

SELECT  RECIPES  FOR  THE   DRESSING  ROOM 

OF    BOTH    SEXE3. 


BOSTON: 

ALLEN  AND  TICKNOR. 

ia34. 


Charles  A.  GJreen,  Printer,  19  Water-street. 


CONTENTS. 


Page. 

introduction ix 

CHAPTER  I. 

Cleanliness 1 

Use  of  Baths, 2 

CHAPTER  H. 

Toilette  of  the  Hair              3 

Head-dresses  of  the  Ancients 

Ancient  Britons 

Jewish  and  Grecian  Women 

Roman  Ladies,  &c.                    -         -  4 

Head-dress  of  a  Trojan  .        .        .        .      ~\ 

the  Athenians     -         -         -         -      ^   3 — 10 

Israelites  .         .         .         .      ) 

Ladies' Hair  in  the  reign  of  Charles  n.                -         -  11 

A  Man  of  Fashion  in  1052 12 

Hair  at  the  end  of  reign  of  Charles  L           -         -        -  13 

Periwig,  when  introduced            -----  14 

Bequest  of  a  large  Black  Wig              -         -         -         -  ib. 

Patches,  some  Account  of ib. 

CHAPTER  HI. 

Forehead  and  its  Decorations              -         -         -         -  15 

Observations  on  the  French  Curls  as  now  worn            -  17 

Opinions  of  Lavater  and  Winkelmaii            -         -         -  18 

Criticisms  on  the  Hair  as  worn  at  the  Present  Day     -  19 

Milliners  and  Painters ib. 

Heads,    Complexions,   Statues,   Shapes,   Busts,    Re- 
marks on  -------20 

Imitations  in  Hair-dress      - 21 

Monstrous  Head-dresses,  Bonnets,  &.c.                 -         -  22 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Formation  and  Structure  of  the  Hair           -         -         -  22 

Analysis  of  the  Hair 23 


IV  CONTENTS. 

Page. 

Chevalier's  Remarks  on  ditto 24 

Vegetation  of  the  Hair,  &c. 26 

CHAPTER   V. 

Causes  of  Grey  Hair              28 

Baldness                   ib. 


Dr.  Darwin's  opinion,  &c. 29 

CHAPTER    VI. 

Attentions  necessary  to  the  Preservation  of  the  Hair  32 

Scurf,  cautious  Removal  of ib. 

Health  of  the  Head,  &c.  ib. 

CHAPTER    VH. 

Hair  Ointments 35 

Powders       --------  ib. 

Washes,  &c.  to  preserve,  &c.      -         -         -         -  ib. 

Recipes,  No.  1,2,  3,  4,  3  40 

To  make  the  Hair  grow,  and  prevent  its  falling  -  41 

Recipes,  No.  1,  2, 3, 4, 5, 6  -        -        -        -  42 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
Directions  for  staining  the  Hair            -         -        -         -  43 
Compositions  and  Tinctures         -         -         -         -         -  ib. 
Recipes,  No.  1,2, 3, 4.5,  6,  &c.                  -        -        -  43 
Method  of  Dying  the  Beard  and  Whiskers,  Eye- 
brows, &c.                49 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Removal  of  superfluous  Hair  -         -         -         -  51 

Depilatories  53 — 51 

CHAPTER   X. 
Cosmetics  : — 
Genuine  Balm  of  Mecca,  &c.        -         -         .         - 

Virgin  Milk  

• Description  of,  by  Lady  Mary  Wortley  65 

Cosmetic  Oils  68  to  72 

Cosmetic  Washes  73 

Denmark  Lotion ib. 

Pigeon  Water  -         -         -         -         -        -        -  ib. 

Wash  a  la  Marie  Antoinette  -         -        -        -  74 

Washes  to  look  Young  ib. 

Vine  Water  -  .        .        .        .        -  75 


CONTENTS.  V 

Page, 

Rose  and  Pimpernel  Waters                ....  75 

Strawberry  Water                76 

Barley  Water               ib. 

Cosmetic  Pomades  for  Wrinkles,  Pimples,  &:c.  77,  78 

Observations  on  Cosmetics 79 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Injunctions  relative  to  the  Refinement  of  the  Skin      -  84 

Pomatums  for  the  Skin                 83 

Lipsalves -         -  86—88 

CHAPTER    XH. 

Paints  for  the  Face               88 

Origin  of  the  Art                  ib. 

Observations  on 89 

1.  On  White  Paint                        90 

To  make  white  Paint  for  the  Complexion         -         -  9? 

A  Salve  used  as  Paint                92 

2.  On  Red  Paint ib. 

Predilection  in  favor  of  Rtxi              -         -         -         -  ib. 

Vegetable  Substances               ib. 

Mineral  ditto 93 

Turkish  Method  of  preparing  Carmine             -         -  ib. 

A  Secret  to  ellace  Wrinkles                 -         -         -         -  95 

To  compose  the  Montpellier  Toilette          -         -         -  96 

CHAPTER  XHI. 

On  the  Mouth  and  Breath 97 

Causes  of  tainted  Breath,  and  Treatment  98,  99 

To  make  a  fragrant  Quid              -         -         -         -         -  100 
Bilious  Pills ib, 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

On  the  Lips                 102 

CHAPTER  XV, 

On  the  Teeth  and  Gums              102 

Toothpicks,  Remarks  on              103 

Economy  of  the  Teeth  and  Mouth                 -         -         -  104 

ClIAPTKR  XVI. 

On  the  Mouth,  Tongue,  Throat,  Teeth,  and  Gums,  -  lOG 

Formation  of  Tartar  on  the  Teeth           -         -  107 

Whitejiess  of  the  Teeth,  how  lost       -         -         -         -  ib. 

To  correct  Black  Teeth               .                   .         .         -  ib 


VI  CONTENTS, 

Page. 

To  preserve  the  Teeth 108 

Accidents  of  the  Gums ib. 

Tincture  for  the  Teeth                 -         -  ,      -        -         -  ib. 

Mixture  for  decayed  Teeth 110 

Coral  Stick  for  the  Teeth lU 

To  make  the  Gums  firm                ib. 

On  False  Teeth 112 

On  Dentifrices  or  Tooth  Powders       -         -         -        -  113 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

To  relieve  the  Tooth-ache  without  removing  the  Tooth  117 

CHAPTER    XVIII. 

On  the  Ears                                           ....  123 

CHAPTER   XIX. 

On  the  Eyes  and  Nose 124 

Washes  for,  &c. 126 

CHAPTER  XX. 

On  the  Eye-brows                128 

CHAPTER    XXI. 

On  the  Eye-lashes               130 

CHAPTER  XXII. 
On  the  Beauty  and  Expression  of  the  Eyes  and  Eye- 
brows -         -         -         -         -         -         -         -133 

On  Black  Eyes 135 

On  Blue  Eyes               136 

On  large  and  small  Eyes              ib. 

CHAPTER   XXIII. 

On  the  Hands  and  Nails              137 

To  improve  the  Beauty  of           -         -         .         -         -  139 

Chaps,  Remedies  for 140 

Warts  and  Chilblains,  Remedies  for            ...  142 

CHAPTER    XXIV. 

On  the  Nails                  ...                        -         -  147 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

On  the  Feet  and  Toes                  101 


CONTENTS.  VU 

Page. 
CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Corns  and  Bunions.  Remedies  for        ...        -  153 

On  the  Shaving  Toilette               I06 

Economy  of  the  Razor                   ib. 

Lotion  for  a  Scurfy  or  Tettery  Chin            -         -         -  157 

Shaving  Liquid 159 

Tr-nsparcnt  Soap ib. 

O  1  Hones  and  Razor  Strops ib. 

To  choose  and  preserve      -  ib. 

Accidents  in  Shaving,  to  remedy  and  prevent      -         -  160 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 
Ablution  by  means  of  the  Bath,  &.c. — The  Warm 

Bath,  a  Cosmetic,  &c.              162 

An  Aromatic  Bath                .,..-.  166 

An  Emollient  Bath  for  the  Feet           ....  167 

A  Cosmetic  Bath                  ib. 

Bath  of  Modesty                   ib. 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

The  Economy  of  Dress                 169 

Animal  Wool               170 

Linen  Cloth                  ib. 

Flannel 172 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

JVeckcloths,  Stocks,  JXecklaces           ....  175 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

The  Graces 178 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 

Fashion  and  Dress               187 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 

Concluding  Advice  to  the  Ladies        ...         -  191 


CONTKNTS. 


APPENDIX. 

Page, 

Miscellaneous  Recipes  fou  the  Toilette  : 

1.  Eau  de  Cologne 194. 

2.  A  Kalydor  for  the  Complexion             -         -         -  195 

3.  Bags  to  scent  Linen ib. 

4.  An  agreeable  sweet-scented  Composition  196 

5.  A  sweet-scented  Bag  to  wear  in  the  Pocket         -  ib, 

6.  A  Cosmetic  Wash-Ball                 -         -         -         -  197 

7.  Madame  Pompadour's  Wash-Ball        -         -         -  ib, 

8.  A  cool  evaporating  Aromatic  Lotion,  for  the  Face, 
Hands  and  Neck ib. 

9.  A  perfume  for  Gloves 198 

10.  Another ib, 

11.  The  Fountain-of-Youth  Water            -         -         -  ib. 

12.  To  make  the  Hair  and  Whiskers  curl        -        -  199 


INTRODUCTION, 


IT  has  long  been  a  subject  of  general  complaint— and  justly 
BO — that  every  work  which  has  hitherto  appeared,  professing 
to  have  the  affairs  of  the  toilette  for  its  object,  in  which  so 
many  personal  attentions  are  combined,  and  principally  a 
healthy  condition  of  the  body  with  a  corresponding  complex- 
ion, has  been  greatly  deficient  in  useful  information  and  prac- 
tical application,  to  such  a  degree,  as  to  leave  the  readers 
doubtful,  and  often  not  a  little  puzzled  how  to  act,  in  consult- 
ing the  high  and  flattering  expectations,  that,  through  such 
equivocal  mediums,  have  been  held  out  to  them.  Indeed,  it 
may  be  safely  asserted,  that  every  cosmetic  or  beautifier  of 
the  skin,  the  composition  of  which  is  kept  a  secret  from  the 
public,  is  a  false  and  fraudulent  commodity — extremely  dan- 
gerous, always  uncertain,  and  in  the  majority  of  cases  decid- 
edly inert. 

Hence  then,  our  firm  opinion  that  a  work  which  shall  treat 
such  subjects  in  an  open,  candid,  and  unprejudiced  manner, 
without  partiality  or  afl'ection,  and  on  professional  princi- 
ples, seems  to  have  been  long  wanting — a  work  of  this  kind, 
we  repeat,  in  which  the  health  and  personal  appearance  of 
every  class  of  society  may  be  consulted  with  benefit  and  safe- 
ty, and  in  which,  by  the  explanations  laid  down,  people  may 
be  enabled  to  draw  a  correct  inference  between  w  hat  is  actu- 
ally wholesome,  and  that  which  is  decidedly  deleterious,  is 
the  object  of  our  present  labours ;  but  how  far  we  have  suc- 
ceeded in  establishing  this  intention,  must  be  left  to  the 
judgment,  as  well  as  the  opinion,  of  others. 

Having,  in  the  present  volume,  treated  of  the  most  impor- 
tant subjects  of  the  toilette,  and  introduced  many  simple, 
though  no  less  efficacious  means  of  counteracting  diseased 
action,  and  promoting  a  healthy  appearance  of  the  skin,  with 
the  substances  used  for  correcting  many  errors  connected 
therewith,  we  shall  lay  before  our  readers  at  once  a  brief  out- 
line of  these  operations,  in  the  various  provinces  to  which 
more  particular  attention  has  been  directed  : — namely, 


X  INTRODUCTION. 

I.  Baths,  of  every  description,  for  the  promotion  of  health,, 
cleanliness,  and  exercise. 

2  Cosmetics,  generally  of  various  compositions,  for  the  pu- 
rification of  the  skin,  and  to  produce  a  healthful  bloom  on  the 
countenance  and  other  external  exposed  parts. 

3.  Depilitories,  or  such  substances  as  may  be  safely  em- 
ployed for  the  removal  of  superfluous  hair  from  parts  of  the 
body  where  it  may  be  neither  seemly  nor  conveinent. 

4.  Z>?/es,  to  change  the  color  of  the  hair,  whiskers,  and  eye- 
brows. 

5.  Lotions,  or  washes,  for  healing  and  renovating,  as  well 
as  beautifying  the  skin,  wherever  it  may  be  injured  by  the 
heat  of  the  sun, — as  for  the  removal  of  tan,  freckles,  or  scurf  j 
for  the  eyes,  &c. 

6.  Lip-salves,  for  preventing  and  healing  chaps  or  excori- 
ations, and  giving  a  healthy  appearance  to  the  orifice  of  the 
mouth. 

7.  Oils  for  the  hair — to  purify,  preserve,  and  prevent  it 
from  turning  grey,  or  falling  prematurely. 

8.  Powders,  for  various  cosmetic  purposes. 

9.  Perfumes  of  the  richest  and  most  permanent  odor,  for 
the  person,  clothes,  wardrobes,  &c. 

10.  Paints,  metallic  and  vegetable — their  dangerous  prop- 
erties when  of  the  former  description — and  to  prepare  the  lat- 
ter for  certain  uses  5  with  directions  and  admonitions  relating 
to  them — when  and  where  serviceable. 

II.  Pomades,  of  various  kinds  and  fragrance,  as  well  for 
the  hair  as  the  skin. 

12.  Razors.  To  select  and  preseve  them  for  constant  use. 
Strops,  and  soaps  for  shaving;  and  the  easiest  methods  of  re- 
moving the  beard,  as  well  as  guarding  the  face  from  acci- 
dent, &.C. 

13.  Tooth  Powders,  of  various  compositions,  as  well  as 
the  most  celebrated  ;  their  various  properties,  and  the  materi- 
als of  which  they  are  compounded. 

These,  with  the  whole  range  of  the  other  incidental  appen- 
dages relating  to  the  toilette,  including  also  the  medical 
treatment  of 

Corns,  Scorbutic  or  Spongj'  Gums, 

Chilblams,  Tainted  Breath, 

Discoloratlons,  Toothache, 

Erutions,  Carious,  or  Decayed  Teetli 

Excrescences,  Warts, 

Pimples,  Whitlows, 

Spots,  <Stc.  &.C. 


INTR0L>UCT10>.  XI 

These  are  the  principal  subjects,  to  which  the  most  minute 
attention  has  been  directed;  and  in  which,  at  the  same  time, 
though  distinctly  connected,  are  embraced  the  economy  of 
some  of  the  most  important  structures  and  functions  of  the 
body,  with  a  view  to  health  ;  such,  for  instance,  as  those  parts 
which  require  constant  attention — namely. 

Beard  and  Chin,  Hands, 

Breath,  Lips, 

Complexion,  Mouth, 

Ears,  Mustachios, 

Eyes,  Nails  of  the  Fingers 

Eye-brows,  and  Toes, 

Eve-lashes,  Nose, 

Feet,  Skin, 

Gums,  Teeth, 

Hair,  Tongue, 

Head,  generally  Whiskers,  &c. 

The  wish  to  enjoy  perpetual  youth,  and  consequently  to 
avert  the  approaches  of  old  age,  is  probably  one  of  the  most 
predominant  and  pardonable,  and  a  rational  desire  to  improve 
and  beautify  the  surface  of  the  body  becomes,  in  consequence, 
no  frivolous  pursuit.  It  excites  as  much  interest  and  is  pro- 
ductive of  as  beneficial  consequences,  as  the  exertions  of 
many  pseudo-philosophers,  who  devote  the  toil  of  years  to  ar- 
range their  notions  in  a  certain  systematic  form,  but  who  are 
not  fortunate  enough  to  attain  the  great  object  of  their  labors. 
We  have  had  many  opportunities  to  observe  that  the  desire 
of  beauty,  when  restrained  within  moderate  bounds,  may 
prove  a  source  of  virtuous  and  laudable  pursuits,  and  may 
also  be  greatly  instrumental  to  the  preservation  of  health ;  at 
the  same  time,  we  arc  equally  as  persuaded  that  this  desire  is 
pursued  by  methods  not  the  most  proper,  and  that,  from  not 
having  a  just  idea  of  beauty,  females  make  many  valuable  sac- 
rifices, not  only  of  things  essential  to  health,  but  sometimes 
to  life  itself.  These  considerations,  and  the  means  of  avert- 
ing evil  consequences,  by  the  adoption  of  empirical  prepara- 
tions have,  we  trust,  been  amply  explained. 

Cleanliness,  activity,  and  flexibility  of  the  skin,  are,  con- 
sistently with  our  subject,  the  principal  requisites  to  the 
health  of  individuals,  as  well  as  of  whole  nations.  But,  in- 
stead of  contributing  to  its  improvement,  very  little  attention 
is  comparatively  paid  to  it,  except  to  the  skin  of  the  face  and 
hands,  which,  but  too  frequently  are  made  the  fallacious  in- 
dex of  hcallh.     Indeed  we  arc  convinced  that  most  of  the  pa- 


XU  INTRODUCTION, 

tients  and  valetudinarians,  who  take  so  much  pains  to  refresh 
and  fortify  the  internal  parts  of  the  body,  by  invigorating  po- 
tations, seldom,  if  ever,  pay  any  regard  to  their  external  sur- 
face— an  object  of  equal  importance,  and  perhaps  standing  in 
much  greater  need  of  corroborants  than  the  former.  Hence 
it  happens  that  the  skin  of  convalescents  is  observed  to  be 
particularly  relaxed  and  obstructed;  that  they  are  liable  to 
particular  colds  upon  the  least  change  of  temperature,  and 
that  every  day  of  their  recovery  renders  them  more  suscepti- 
ble of  relapses. 

The  children  of  the  people  of  the  middle  and  lower  ranks, 
in  this  country,  are  perhaps  better  managed  than  in  most 
countries  on  the  continent,  because  frequent  and  daily  bath- 
ing is  nowhere  so  generally  practised  as  in  England.  As 
soon,  however,  as  children  attain  a  certain  age,  this  practice 
again  is  as  generally  neglected ;  and  after  the  tenth  or  twelfth 
year,  the  surface  of  the  body  is  no  longer  thought  of.  Thus  a 
foundation  is  laid  for  numberless  evils,  and  particularly  for 
that  scorbutic  taint,  which  too  often  prevails  among  the  low- 
er orders  ;  and  which  is  more  or  less  connected  with  other 
unfashionable  complaints  among  the  higher  ranks.  We  then 
begin  to  accustom  ourselves  to  sedentary  habits,  to  think,  and 
partake  of  the  pleasures  of  society.  The  lady,  the  man  of 
fortune,  and  the  ill-fated  man  of  letters,  all  require  more  ac- 
tive exercise  than  they  actually  take,  which  alone  can  pro- 
mote a  free  perspiration,  and  refresh  the  surface  of  the  body  ; 
but  by  their  indolent  habits,  the  whole  machine  is  in  a  lan- 
guid state,  and  the  skin  becomes  contracted,  obstructed,  dis- 
colored, and  debilitated. 

The  husbandman,  indeed,  labors  diligently ;  and  though,  by 
perspiration,  his  skin  preserves  more  life  and  activity,  it  is 
neither  suiFiciently  clean,  nor  prevented  from  being  obstruct- 
ed by  perspirable  matter.  The  artist  and  manufacturer  carry 
on  their  pursuits  in  a  sedentary  manner,  and  in  a  confined  and 
impure  air  3  the  latter,  in  the  duties  of  his  occupation,  gener- 
ally employs  unwholesome  substances,  so  that,  at  length,  in 
some  parts  of  the  body,  he  loses  the  feeling  of  this  organ  en- 
tirely. The  voluptuary  and  the  glutton  do  not  sutfer  less 
than  the  former,  as  tlicy  impair  the  energies  of  the  skin  by  ex- 
cesses of  every  kind,  and  take  no  precautions  to  preserve  its 
elastic  texture.  And  if  we  add  to  the  list  of  predisposing 
causes,  an  inconstant  climate,  which  at  one  hour  of  the  day 
braces,  at  another  relaxes  the  surface  of  the  body,  alternately 
heats  and  cools  it.  and  consequently  distracts  its  uniform  ac- 


INTRODUCTION.  XIU 

tion  ;  it  will  be  easily  understood,  that  the  skin  must  for  these 
reasons  become  vitiated,  and  hence  a  source  of  many  of  our 
most  fashionable  positions. 

The  just  proportion  of  the  fluids^  and  the  circulation  of  the 
blood,  are  also  determined  in  no  small  degree  by  the  skin  5  so 
that  if  these  fluids  become  thick  and  languid,  the  whole  mo- 
mentum of  the  blood,  is  repelled  towards  the  interior  parts. 

Bathing,  which  could  nearly  obviate  all  these  effects,  is  not 
merely  a  cleanser  of  the  skin,  enlivening  and  rendering  it 
more  fit  for  performing  its  offices  5  it  also  refreshes  the  mind, 
and  spreads  over  the  whole  system  a  sensation  of  ease,  activi- 
ty, and  pleasantness.  It  likewise  removes  stagnation  in  the 
larger,  as  well  as  in  the  capillary  vessels;  gives  an  uniform, 
free  circulation  to  the  blood  ;  and  preserves  that  wonderful 
harmony  in  our  interior  organs,  on  the  disposition  of  which 
our  health  and  comfort  depend. 

In  the  body  of  the  work,  we  have  constantly  endeavored  to 
show  that  beauty  and  health,  are  inseparable  companions. 
The  female,  therefore,  who  takes  the  greatest  care  of  her  beau- 
ty, will,  all  things  else  being  equal,  enjoy  the  best  health,  and 
defer  till  the  latest  period,  the  melancholy  arrival  of  frigid 
and  decrepid  age.  It  is,  therefore,  we  repeat,  from  particular 
attention  to  the  skin,  that  we  have  to  expect  health  and  long 
life,  a  comfortable  old  age,  and  perhaps  also,  an  effect  still 
more  rare,  the  complete  renovation  of  the  physical  constitu- 
tion— the  restoration  of  youth — which  could  not  fail  to  crown 
the  triumph  of  cosmetics.  The  possibility,  in  fact,  of  at- 
taining to  extreme  old  age,  is  so  clearly  demonstrated  on 
the  authority  of  ancient  as  well  as  modern  patriarchs,  that 
we  have  no  occasion  to  say  more  on  the  subject.  Numerous 
are  the  instances  that  might  be  quoted  in  proof  of  this  asser- 
tion;  and  that  this  renovation  is  possible,  and  that  in  part 
attributable  to  the  good  condition  of  the  skin,  which  is  invig- 
orated by  diet,  air,  and  exercise,  is  neither  a  paradox  nor  a 
new  broached  opinion.  Most  of  the  physicians,  ancient  as 
well  as  modern,  who  have  devoted  their  attention  to  the 
means  of  prolonging  life  or  restoring  the  vigor  of  youth,  have 
invariably  recommended  particular  care  to  be  taken  of  the 
skin. 

The  skin  has  such  intimate  relations  with  the  internal 
organs,  that  the  condition  of  the  former  has  an  astonishing 
influence  on  the  latter.  When  the  sensibility  of  the  surface 
is  impaired — when  the  myriads  of  orifices  that  are  designed 
for  the  continual  purification  and  renovation  of  our  fluids 


XIV  INTRODUCTION. 

are  obstructed,  if  not  closed, — when  the  subtle  nervous  tex- 
ture is  nearly  deprived  of  its  energy,  so  that  it  becomes  an 
impenetrable  coat  of  mail,  is  there  any  reason  to  wonder  that 
we  are  so  often  harassed  by  a  sense  of  constraint  and  anxiety, 
and  that  this  uneasiness,  in  many  cases,  terminates  in  a  de- 
sponding gloom,  and  at  length  in  complete  melancholy  ? 

Paints  must  not  be  confounded  with  Cosmetics,  which 
often  really  do  impart  whiteness,  freshness,  suppleness,  and 
brilliancy  to  the  skin,  when  it  is  naturally  deficient  in  those 
qualities;  consequently  they  assist  TS ature,  and  make  amends 
for  her  defects;  and  it  may  be  affirmed,  that  they  are  to 
beauty  what  medicines  are  to  health,  when  properly  and 
timely  administered.  Paints  are  far,  however,  from  answer- 
ing this  purpose.  They  are  not  only  incapable  of  embellish- 
ing the  skin,  but  those  who  make  use  of  them  are  extremely 
fortunate  when  they  do  not  contribute  to  increase  their  de- 
fects. They  cannot  give  the  skin  the  desired  qualities — 
they  only  imitate  them  in  a  manner  more  or  less  coarse  :  in 
a  word,  they  may  be  aptly  denominated  corporeal  hypocrisy. 

Formerly,  in  the  composition  of  these  paints,  mineral  sub- 
stances were  only  used ;  under  which  name  was  qualified 
every  composition,  white  or  red,  which  females  with  pale 
faces  made  use  of  to  heighten  their  complexion,  imitate  the 
colors  of  youth,  or  artificially  to  supply  its  absence.  The 
most  ancient  paint,  and  that  which  has  enjoyed  the  largest 
favor,  was  antimony.  To  embellish  and  produce  fine  large 
black  eyes,  the  women  rubbed  the  eye-lashes  and  eye-lids 
with  a  needle  that  had  been  dipped  in  the  liver  of  antimony : 
the  Syrian,  Babylonian, and  Arabian  women  still  employ  this 
substance  for  the  eyes;  and  also  use  it  to  preserve  their  eyes 
against  the  intensity  of  the  sun's  ray.  The  Grecian  and 
Roman  women  paint  the  eyes  black,  as  well  as  the  Asiatics; 
but  as  this  paint  does  not  repair  their  faded  color,  they  invent- 
ed others,  namely,  the  white  and  red. 

Throughout  nearly  all  Asia  and  Africa,  the  people  paint 
different  parts  of  the  body  white,  red,  yellow  and  green,  ac- 
cording to  their  ideas  of  beauty.  For  a  length  of  time  the 
Russian  women  were  in  the  habit  of  using  rouge,  plucking 
out  the  hairs  of  the  eye-brows,  and  painting  them  artificially. 
The  Greenland  women  daub  their  faces  with  white  and  yel- 
low ;  the  Zemblian  women  make  blue  streaks  on  their  fore- 
heads and  chins;  the  Mingrelian  women  paint  the  whole  lace, 
the  eye-brows,  forehead,  the  nose,  and  cheeks;  the  Japanese 
paint  the  eye-brows  and  lips  blue;   the   Arabians  apply  a 


INTRODUCTION.  XV 

blue  color  to  the  lips,  and  the  most  exposed  parts  of  the 
body,  which  they  convey  into  the  flesh  by  means  of  a  needle 
made  expressly  for  the  purpose.  In  Turkey  they  make 
their  eyes  blacker  by  means  of  a  dye  which  is  injected  into 
them  ;  m  like  manner,  they  change  the  color  of  the  hair,  the 
hands  and  feet,  yellow  and  red.  The  Moorish  women  use 
molybdena  to  dye  the  eye-lashes  and  eye-brows.  In  fine, 
the  women  of  Asia.  Africa,  and  some  parts  of  America, 
paint  various  parts  of  their  body,  color  the  hair,  and  tattoo 
themselves  in  a  variety  of  ways,  according  to  their  own  views 
of  beauty  and  taste — indeed,  paint  appears  to  be  the  insepara- 
ble appendage  to  the  toilette  of  the  ladies  of  all  countries. 

The  practice  of  painting  began  to  be  adopted  in  France 
and  England  during  the  time  of  Catherine  de  Medicis.  It 
was  not  till  long  afterwards  that  it  became  general  3  but 
during  the  last  century  it  arrived  at  such  a  pitch,  especially 
among  the  higher  orders  of  society,  that  none  but  individuals 
of  the  lower  classes  durst  appear  in  public  with  faces  such 
as  nature  had  formed  them. 

It  cannot  be  expected  that  persons  unacquainted  with  the 
composition  of  cosmetics,  or  paints,  should  be  able  to  discrim- 
inate between  a  vegetable  and  a  mineral  preparation.  So 
many  pernicious  nostrums  are  advertised  of  the  latter  class, 
all  for  the  pretended  purpose  of  beautifying  and  embellishing 
the  human  face,  that  too  frequently  instead  of  accomplishing 
the  desired  object,  they  obstruct  many  of  the  most  impor- 
tant operations  of  nature,  which  insensibly  consume  the  vi- 
tal heat,  check  the  perspiration,  and  lay  the  foundation  of 
cutaneous  as  well  as  internal  diseases,  which  sap  the  con- 
stitution, and  end  in  deformity  and  disease.  Thus,  from  the 
implicit  credulity  of  some,  and  the  exuberant  imagination  of 
others,  observations  and  experiments,  however  incompatible 
with  sound  reason .  and  philosophy,  have  been  multiplied, 
with  the  avowed  design  of  establishing  proofs  or  refutations 
of  this  or  that  absurd  opinion.  In  this  manner  have  fanati- 
cism and  imposture  falsified  the  plainest  truths,  or  forged  the 
most  unfounded  and  ridiculous  claims  5  insomuch  that  one 
glaring  inconsistency  was  employed  to  combat  another,  and 
folly  succeeded  folly,  till  a  fund  of  materials  has  been  trans- 
mitted to  posterity,  sufficient  to  form  a  history  of  the  subject 
of  no  contemptible  magnitude.  In  proportion  as  people 
value  their  lives,  comforts  and  conveniences,  in  the  same 
ratio  ought  they  to  distrust  nostrums  of  every  description, 
be  they  either  for  internal  use  or  external  application. 


XVI  INTRODUCTION. 

Bears'  grease,  certain  oils,  balms,  balsams,  kalydors,  &c., 
are  so  many  galleries  held  up  to  the  credulous,  as  to  reflect 
discredit  on  human  penetration  and  sagacity,  when  their 
adoption  is  preferred  on  the  solitary  ipse  dixit  of  the  vendor, 
to  the  more  simple  processes  and  preparations  which  nature, 
with  the  aid  of  cleanliness,  is  certain  of  effecting,  without 
either  danger  or  disappointment  :  we  cannot  recommend  any 
of  the  advertised  nostrums  either  for  the  hair  or  the  com- 
plexion. 


THE    TOILETTE 

OF   HEALTH,   BEAUTY,   AND   FASHION. 
CHAPTER   I. 

CLEANLINESS. 

As  a  preservative  of  health  the  value  of  cleanliness 
must  be  obvious  to  every  sensitive  mind,  whether  in- 
deed it  be  considered  in  a  medical,  a  moral,  or  a  cos- 
metical  point. 

Personal  cleanliness,  and  every  thing  connected 
therewith,  is  a  principal  duty  of  man :  an  unclean  and 
dirty  person  is  never  in  health,  and,  at  best,  is  always 
a  loathsome  and  disgusting  sight.  It  is  better  to 
wash  twenty  times  a-day,  than  to  allow  a  dirty  spot 
to  remain  on  any  part  of  the  skin.  On  places  where 
impurities  are  suffered  to  obstruct  the  pores  of  the 
skin,  the  insensible  perspiration  is  not  only  suppressed, 
but  the  absorption  by  the  skin  also ;  and  if  the  whole 
body  be,  as  it  were,  covered  with  a  crusted  coat  of 
perspirated  matter,  it  is  impossible  under  such  dis- 
gusting circumstances  to  possess  sound  blood,  or  enjoy 
good   health. 


2  THE     TOILETTE     OF     HEALTH. 

The  body,  and  particularly  the  joints,  ought  to  bo 
frequently  washed  with  pure  water,  especially  in  sum- 
mer, when  the  perspirable  matter,  being  of  an  unctuous, 
clammy  nature,  obstructs  the  excretion  by  the  pores. 
The  face,  neck,  and  hands,  being  most  exposed  to 
tlie  air,  dust,  and  the  like,  ought  to  be  daily  washed, 
morning  and  evening.  Attention  should  also  be  paid 
to  the  ears,  by  occasionally  cleaning  them  out,  that  the 
sense  of  hearing  may  not  be  impaired  by  the  accu- 
mulation of  indurated  wax,  which,  from  its  acrid  na- 
ture, may  prove   unpleasant   as  well   as   injurious. 

The  whole  head  ought  to  be  frequently  washed  and 
cleaned,  as  it  perspires  much,  and  is,  besides,  exposed 
to  the  dust  and  other  particles  in  the  atmosphere. 
Washing  opens  the  pores,  while  the  comb,  by  its  close 
application  to  the  skin,  removes  the  viscid  humors  and 
renders  them  fluid. 

The  use  of  baths,  too  much  neglected,  ought  to  be 
more  generally  introduced.  It  is  not  sufficient  for  the 
great  purposes  of  cleanliness  and  health,  that  a  few  or 
more  wealthy  families  repair  every  season  to  watering 
places,  or  that  they  even  make  use  of  other  modes  of 
bathing,  either  for  health  or  amusement.  A  very  dif- 
ferent method  must  be  pursued,  if  we  sincerely  wish 
to  restore  the  vigor  of  a  degenerated  race  :  we  mean 
here  to  inculcate  the  indispensable  necessity  of  domestic 
baths,  so  well  known  among  the  ancients,  and  so  uni- 
versally established  all  over  Europe  a  few  centuries  ago* 


BEAUTY,    AND     FASHION. 


CHAPTER   11. 


TOILETTE  OF  THE  HAIR,  AXD   HEAD-DRESSES  OF  THE 
ANCIENTS. 

'  Fallen  is  thy  hair,  and  beautj-  is    no  more.' 

The  ancients  considered  the  hair  of  the  head  as  the 
principal  ornament  of  beauty.  Venus  herself,  says  Apu- 
leius,  were  she  destitute  of  hair,  would  cease  to  charm 
her  husband,  Vulcan ;  *  and  agreeably  with  this  idea, 
we  find  the  poets  often  representing  the  loss  of  this 
embellishment  as  fatal  to  personal  beauty,  in  language 
of  similar   import   to  the   above   line. 

We  meet  indeed  with  scarcely  any  description  of 
a  fine  and  beautiful  woman  or  man  in  the  Poems  of 
Ossian,  witiiout  the  hair  being  introduced  as  one  of  the 
greatest   ornaments    of   their    persons.      Boadicea,   the 

*  'Take  away  the  hair  of  a  beautiful  woman,  strip  her 
brow  of  this  ornament,  and  had  she  even  descended  from 
heaven,  were  she  engendered  by  the  sea,  were  she  Venus 
herself,  accompanied  by  the  Loves  and  the  Graces,  begirt 
with  her  Cistus,  and  perfumed  with  the  most  exquisite 
odors,  if  she  appears  with  a  bald  head,  she  cannot  please- 
Even   her   Vulcan    would   think    her   disafireeable.' 


4  THE     TOILETTE     OF     HEALTH, 

heroic  queen  of  the  Iceni,*  is  described  by  Dis,  with 
very  long  hair,  flowing  over  her  shoulders,  floating  in 
the  air,  and  reacliing  down  below  the  middle  of  her 
back.t  The  ancient  Britons  were  extremely  proud  of 
the  length  and  beauty  of  their  hair ;  and  it  was  es- 
teemed a  considerable  honor  among  the  ancient  Gauls 
to  have  long  hair.  Hence  Cagsar,  upon  subduing  this 
people,  made  them  cut  ofi*  their  hair  in  token  of  their 
submission.  The  hair  of  both  Jewish  and  Grecian 
women,  engaged  a  principal  share  of  their  attention ; 
and  the  Roman  ladies  seem  to  have  been  no  less 
curious  with  respect  to  theirs.  They  generally  wore  it 
long,  and  dressed  in  a  variety  of  ways,  ornamenting  it 
with  gold,  silver,  &c.  On  the  contrary,  the  men  among 
the  Greeks  and  Romans,  and  among  the  later  Jews, 
wore  their  hair  short,  as  may  be  collected  from  books, 
medals,  and   statues.     This  formed  a  cliief  distinction 

^  The  Iceni,  in  the  ancient  geography  of  England,  inhab- 
ited the  counties  of  Suffolk,  Norfolk,  Cambridge,  and  Hunt- 
ingdon. Their  heroic  queen  Boadicea,  being  defeated  and 
ill-treated  by  the  Romans,  poisoned  herself.     A.  D.  61. 

t  We  learn  from  Juvenal  and  Horace,  that,  among  the 
Romans,  nothing  was  deemed  more  essential  to  the  beauty 
of  a  young  person,  than  a  fine  long  head  of  hair — 

'  Loose  to  the  wind  her  golden  tresses  streamed.' 

Petrarch. 

But  they  had  a  custom  of  cutting  it  short  about  the  age  of 
seventeen,  and  of  keeping  it  so  ever  after. — See  Spence's 
Pohjmetes,  abridged  by   Tindal,  2d  Edit.  p.  115. 


BEAUTV,    AND     FASHION.  O 

in  dress  between  the  sexes ;  an  observation  which  il- 
lustrates a  passage  in  the  apostle  Paul's  Epistle  to  the 
Corinthians.* 

We  read  of  a  Trojan,  in  Homer,  who  had  his  hair 
*  instarred  with  gems  and  gold,'  and  Madame  Dacier 
informs  us,  that  the  Athenians  were  accustomed  to  put 
little  grasshoppers  of  gold  in  their  hair.  Others,  we  are 
told,  perfumed  their  hair  with  large  quantities  of  fra- 
grant oil,  and  powdered  it  with  gold-dust. t  Those  to 
whom  nature  had  refused  this  agreeable  ornament,  sup- 
plied the  defect  by  art.  The  Greeks,  and  after  their 
example  the  Romans,  wore  false  hair  ;  a  custom  which 


*  The  Israelites  wore  their  hair  very  long,  and  they 
thought  nothing  too  valuable  to  enhance  the  beauty  of  that 
highly  prized  ornament.  Josephus  informs  us,  that  the 
guards  of  king  Solomon  had  long  hair  floating  down  their 
shoulders,  and  that  they  every  day  powdered  their  hair  with 
gold  spangles,  which  glistened  exceedingly  when  the  sun 
shone  upon  them. 

t  This  practice  of  embellishing  the  hair  with  gold  powder, 
which  certainly  proves  the  high  value  that  was  set  upon  it, 
was  not  confined  to  the  Jewish  nation  alone.  Some  of  the 
Roman  Emperors  adopted  this  fashion,  as  we  are  informed 
by  Trihellius,  PoUiO;  and  others,  concerning  the  Emperor 
Gallienus,  and  by  ^lius  Lampredius  respecting  the  Empe- 
ror Commodus.  Suetonius  also  relates,  that  when  Nero 
appeared  upon  the  stage,  either  for  the  purpose  of  playing 
on  the  lyre,  or  reciting  verses  of  his  own  composition, 
which  his  soldiers,  with  drawn  sabres,  obliged  the  spectators 
to  applaud,  he  had  his  hair  sprinkled  with  gold  pov.der, 
that  he  might  resemble  Apollo. 


U  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 

has  at  times  greatly  prevailed  in  other  countries,  not  ex- 
cepting our  own*  The  Greeks,  and  other  nations, 
when  mourning  for  their  deceased  relations  or  particu- 
lar friends,  tore,  cut  off,  and  sometimes  shaved  their 
hair,  which  they  laid  upon  the  corpse,  or  threw  into 
the  pile,  to  be  consumed  together  with  the  body  :  and 
this  was  deemed  a  token  of  violent  affection.  Thus 
Achilles  and  others,  in  Homer,  offer  theirs  to  Patroculus : 

'  O'er  all  the  corpse  their  scattered  locks  they  throw  ' 

and  the  little  Cupids,  on  the  death  of  Adonis,  accord- 
ing to  Bion, 

'  Shear  their  locks,  excess  of  grief  to  show  ' 
Again  ;  '  When  insatiate  death  had  ravished  the  youth- 
ful and  blooming  Temas,' 

Her  loved  companions  pay  the  rites  of  woe, 

All,  all,  alas!    the  living  can  bestow  ! 

From  their  fair  heads  the  graceful  curls  they  shear, 

Place  on  her  tomb,  and  drop  the  tender  tear. — Sappho. 


*  Among  the  Romans,  those  who  were  bald,  and  would 
not  wear  a  wig,  had  recourse  to  a  method  which  to  us  ap- 
pears truly  extraordinary.  They  caused  hair  to  be  painted 
on  their  bare  skull,  with  perfumes  and  essences  composed 
expressly  for  that  purpose.  In  verification  of  this,  the  exist- 
ence of  so  strange  a  custom.  Martial,  in  an  epigram  on 
Phoebus,  thus  addresses  him:  'your  counterfeit  hair  is  a 
falsehood  of  the  perfume  which  imitates  it ;  and  your  skull 
disgracefully  bald,  is  covered  with  painted  locks  ;  and  you 
have  no  occasion  for  a  barber  for  your  head,  Phcebus ;  you 
may  shave  yourself  much  better  with  a  sponge.' 


BEAUTY,    AND    FASHION.  7 

This  custom  is  taken  notice  of  in  the  Scriptures,  (see 
Ezek.  xxvii.  31.)  It  is  recorded  by  Herodotus,  that 
Mardonius,  the  Persian  General,  after  one  of  his  de- 
feats, cut  off  his  hair  in  token  of  his  grief;  and  Plu- 
tarch tells  us,  that  when  Alexander's  friend  Hephestion 
died,  that  'mighty  robber  and  murderer,'  to  express 
his  sorrow,  ordered  the  manes  of  all  his  horses  and 
mules  to  be  cut  off. 

The  Gauls,  before  the  establishment  of  the  monarchy, 
wore  their  hair  very  long  ;  and  this  custom,  says  Pliny, 
gave  the  whole  country  the  appellation  of  the  hairy 
Gaul,  (Gallia  Comata.)  But,  on  the  foundation  of  the 
monarchy,  the  kings,  desirous  of  having  a  distinctive 
mark  of  their  pre-eminence,  reserved  the  right  of  wear- 
ing long  hair  for  themselves  and  the  princes  of  the 
blood.  Their  subjects  were  forbidden  to  wear  long 
hair ;  and  this  custom  continued  till  the  twelfth  centu- 
ry, when  Pierre  Lombard,  Bishop  of  Paris,  at  length 
prevailed  upon  the  king  to   repeal  this   prohibition. 

During  the  early  period  of  the  monarchy,  the  hair  was 
held  in  such  veneration,  that  if  the  object  was  to  de- 
grade a  prince,  his  head  was  shaved.  In  this  mannner 
Clovis  treated  Casaric,  whom  he  had  conquered.  The 
son  of  that  king,  involved  in  the  same  disgrace,  said  to 
his  father,  in  order  to  comfort  him :  '  My  hair,  which 
has  been  cut  off,  was  nothing  but  green  branches,  which 
will  grow  again,  for  the  trunk  is  not  dead.'  People, 
at  that  time,  swore  by  the  hair  of  their  head;  and  this 
oath  was  then  held  as  sacred  as  when  a  man  now-a- 
days — swears  '  upon   his   word   and  honor." 


8  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 

Traitors  implicated  in  one  and  the  same  plot,  were 
sentenced  to  cut  off  each  other's  hair.  Tredegonda 
caused  the  hair  of  a  mistress  of  her  son-in-law  to  be  cut 
off,  and  hung  up  at  the  door  of  the  prince's  apartment. 
This  sort  of  proceeding  was  at  that  time  considered  as 
the  height  of  barbarity.  A  very  singular  custom  of 
those  times  likewise  proves  the  great  estimation  in 
which  the  hair  of  the  head  was  held.  In  saluting  any 
one  to  whom  it  was  intended  to  show  the  greatest  mark 
of  respect,  the  highest  compliment  that  could  be  paid 
was  to  pluck  out  a  hair  from  his  head,  and  present  it  to 
him.  It  is  related  that  Clovis  pulled  a  hair  from  his 
head,  and  gave  it  to  St.  Germier,  to  prove  how  highly 
he  esteemed  him,  and  that  the  courtiers  who  witnessed 
this  action  of  the  monarch,  were  eager  to  pluck  each 
of  them  a  hair,  and  to  present  it  to  the  virtuous  bishop, 
who  withdrew  enchanted  with  the  politeness  of  the 
court. 

Very  grave  authors  have  written  some  very  extensive 
commentaries  on  the  weight  of  Absalom's  hair  ;  though 
the  question,  we  believe,  is  still  undecided  ;  and  it  is 
more  than  probable  that  it  will  never  be  again  agitated. 
We  read  (Sam.  xiv.  25,  26.)  that  it  weighed  no  less  than 
200  shekels,  which,  if  computed  by  the  Jewish  shekel 
as   calculated  by    Bishop  Cumberland,*  amount  to  the 


^  Jewish  doctors  greatly  differ  in  estimating  the  weight 
of  the  shekels  so  often  mentioned  in  the  Old  Testament. 
One  in  the  cabinet  of  Louis  XVI,  is  said  to  weigh  268  grains: 


BEAUTY,   AND    FASHION.  i) 

enormous  ponderosity  of  81bs.  4oz.  troy.  But,  fortu- 
nately for  the  march  of  intellect,  it  has  been  remarked, 
that  when  the  books  of  Samuel  were  revised,  after  the 
Babylonish  captivity,  such  weights  were  mentioned  as 
were  then  known  to  them ;  and  therefore  when  the  his- 
torian mentions  this  weight  of  Absalom's  hair,  he  adds, 
by  way  of  explanation,  that  it  was  after  the  king's  weight; 
i.  e.  after  the  weight  of  the  king  of  Babylon — whose 
shekel  was  only  one-third  of  that  of  the  Jews ;  by  which 
supputation  the  quantity  of  hair  is  so  reduced,  as  not  to 
appear  altogether  incredible  :  more  especially  if  it  be  rec- 
ollected how  much  the  supplementary  decorations  of 
those  days  must  increase  its  weight.  After  all,  it  may 
perhaps  be  more  reasonable  to  say,  with  the  judicious 
Harmer,  that  the  present  reading  may  be  faulty,  as  in 
other  cases  there  have  frequently  been  mistakes  in  num- 
bers. '  It  was,'  says  this  admirable  writer, '  an  uncom- 
monly fine  head  of  hair,  of  very  unusual  weight,  which 
is  all  we  know  with  certainty  about  it.'  Obs.  vol.  ii.  p. 
400,  ^-c. 

Many  commentators  imagine  that  Absalom  was  sus- 
pended by  his  hair  when  he  was  killed  by  Joab :  but 
others  suppose  that  his  neck  was  so  wedged  in  between 
the  boughs  by  the  quick  motion  of  the  mule,  that  he 
was    not  able   to    disengage    himself;    '  For,'    subjoin 


Bishop  Cumberland,  however,  asserts,  that  he  always  found 
each  of  the  many  tha{  he  had  weighed,  about  haif-an-ounce, 
or  240  grains. 


10  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 

these  last, '  lie  certainly  wore  a  helmet  when  he  went  to 
battle,'  and  hence  they  conclude,  that  his  hair  could  not 
be  entangled  in  the  boughs. 

In  many  countries,  the  privation  of  the  hair  was  a 
punishment  inflicted  by  public  authority  ;  even  at  the. 
present  day,  criminal  law  carries  it  to  a  certain  extent 
in  most  countries  in  Europe.  The  Greeks  and  th(! 
Chactas  punished  adulteresses  by  cutting  off  their  hair, 
which  was  not  suffered  to  grow  again  till  the  following 
year.  The  loss  of  the  hair,  by  females,  was  considered 
as  the  greatest  misfortune  that  could  befall  them. 
Thus  Martial,  vomiting  forth  imprecations  against  the 
women,  whom  he  detests,  exclaims,  '  may  the  Sala- 
mander which  possesses  the  property  of  making  the  hair 
fall  off",  leave  upon  thy  head  traces  of  his  poison,  or  may 
the  unsparing  razor  strip  it  entirely,  that  thy  mirror  may 
exhibit  to  thee  an  image  worthy  of  thyself.'  And,  if 
it  be  permitted  to  pass  from  a  profane  to  a  sacred  sub- 
ject, the  prophet  Isaiah  says,  '  because  the  daughters 
of  Zion  have  exalted  themselves,  and  have  held  their 
heads  high  as  they  have  walked,  making  signs  with 
their  eyes  and  gestures  with  their  hands,  because  they 
have  measured  all  their  steps  and  studied  all  their  atti- 
tudes, the  Lord  will  make  bald  the  heads  of  the  daugh- 
ters of  Zion,  and  will  pluck  up  all  their  hair.' 

Having  now  shown  the  high  estimation  in  which,  as 
the  '  decus  et  tutamcn '  of  the  human  head,  the  hair  has 
been  held ;  we  will  now  proceed  to  an  analytical  inves- 
tigation of  it,  as  regards  its  structure  and  properties. 


BEAUTY,    AND    FASHION.  11 

Under  Charles  II.,  the  ladies'  hair  was  curled  and 
frizzled  with  the  nicest  art,  and  they  frequently  set  it 
off,  as  at  the  present  day,  with  artificial  curls,  called 
heart-breakers  ;  sometimes  a  string  of  pearls,  or  an  orna- 
ment of  ribbon  was  worn  on  the  head ;  and  in  the  latter 
part  of  this  reign,  hoods  of  various  kinds  were  in  fash- 
ion. Patching  and  painting  the  face,  than  which  nothing 
was  more  common  in  France,  was  also  too  general  in 
England ;  but  what  was  much  worse,  females  offered  a 
mean  betwixt  dress  and  nakedness,  which  occasioned 
the  publication  of  a  book  entitled,  '  A  Just  and  Seasona- 
ble Reprehension  of  Naked  Breasts  aud  Shoulders,  with 
a  Preface,  by  Richard  Baxter.'  A  few  years  afterwards, 
in  the  reign  of  William  III.,  the  hair  was  worn  much 
frizzled  and  curled  :  jewels,  pearls,  and  amber,  were  gen- 
erally worn  in  the  hair ;  and  ear-rings,  necklaces,  brace- 
lets, ornaments  on  the  stomacher  and  shoulders. 

It  appears  by  the  broad  seal  of  Charles  II.,  in  Sand- 
ford,  dated  1G53,  that  he  wore  long  hair  and  whiskers. 
It  also  appears  from  the  prints  of  him  in  Sir  Wilham 
Lewis's  accounts  of  his  establishments  at  the  Hague  the 
same  year,  that  he  sometimes  wore  a  large  cravat,  and, 
at  other  times,  a  long  falling  band  with  tassels.  His 
ruffles  were  large,  his  doublet  short,  with  large  tops,  his 
hair  long,  with  a  lock  on  the  right  side  much  longer  than 
the  rest. 

In  the  reign  of  Queen  Anne  the  ladies  wore  tlie  hair 
in  a  becoming  manner  curled  round  the  face.  The 
flowing  wig,  or  rather  veil,  of  the  finest  linen,  fastened 


12  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 

upon  the  head,  fell  behind,  and  prevailed  till  the  high- 
projecting  head-dress  was  restored,  after  it  had  been  also 
continued  fifteen  years.  It  was  observed  by  Swift,  when 
dining  with  Sir  Thomas  Hanraer,  that  the  Duchess  of 
Grafton,  who  was  there,  and  wore  this  unbecoming,  un- 
graceful. Babel  head-dress,  looked  '  like  a  mad  woman.' 
Her  majesty  observed  the  greatest  decorum  in  her  dress, 
and  would  often  condescend  to  observe  in  her  domestics 
of  either  sex,  whether  a  ruffle  or  a  periwig,  or  the  lining 
of  a  coat,  was  appropriate.  Lord  Bolinbroke  was  once 
sent  for  in  haste  by  the  queen,  and  went  to  her  majesty  in 
a  ramillie  or  tiewig,  instead  of  a  full-bottomed  one,  which 
so  offended  his  sovereign,  that  she  said, '  I  suppose  that 
his  lordship  will  come  to  court  the  next  time  in  his  peri- 
wig.' 

A  MAN  OF  FASHION  IN  THE  YEAR  1652. 

Mr.  Benlowes,  in  his  '  Theophila,'  published  in  1652, 
has  given  us  a  print  of  a  man  of  fashion.  In  his  hat,  the 
brim  of  which  is  extended  horizontally,  is  a  large  feath- 
er ;  it  inclines  much  to  the  right  side,  as  if  it  were  falling 
off  his  head.  His  hair  is  very  long  ;  his  ruffles  are  dou- 
ble ;  his  doublet  reaches  no  lower  than  the  w^aistband  of 
his  breeches  ;  his  sword  is  enormous,  and  suspended  to  a 
belt,  which  comes  over  his  right  shoulder  ;  his  breeches 
are  large,  with  puffs  like  small  blown  bladders,  quite 
round  the  knees  j  his  boots  are  very  short,  with  fringed 
tops,  which  are  almost  as  ample  in  their  dimension  as 
the  brim  of  his  hat.     It  appears  from  the  same  author, 


BEAUTy,    AND    FASHION.  13 

that  black  patches  were  sometimes  worn  by  the  beaux 
during  the  Commonwealth.  Short  hair,  short  bands, 
short  cloaks,  and  long  visages  frequently  occur  in  the 
portraits  of  this  period. 

Mr.  Benlowes  has  also  given  us  prints  of  two  ladies  of 
the  same  period,  from  the  pencil  of  Hallar — one  in  a  stmi- 
mer,  the  other  in  a  winter  dress.  The  former  is  withoiit 
a  cap,  has  her  hair  combed  like  a  wig,  except  that  which 
grows  on  the  crown  of  the  head,  which  is  nicely  braided, 
and  rounded  in  a  knot.  Her  neck-handkerchief  is  sur- 
rounded with  a  deep  scalloped  lace,  and  her  cuffs  are  laced 
much  in  the  same  manner.  The  sleeves  of  her  gown 
have  many  slashes,  through  which  her  linen  is  very  con- 
spicuous ;  her  fan  is  of  moderate  size.  The  latter  is  rep- 
resented in  a  close  black  hood  and  a  black  mask,  which 
just  conceals  her  nose.  She  wears  a  sable  tippet,  and 
holds  a  large  muff  of  the  same  kind,  which  entirely  hides 
her  arms. 

'The  hair'  (at  the  end  of  the  reign  of  Charles  I.,)  says 
Dr.  Granger, '  was  worn  low  on  the  forehead,  and  gen- 
erally unparted :  some  wore  it  very  long,  others  of  a 
moderate  length.  The  king,  and  consequently  many 
others,  wore  a  low  lock  on  the  left  side,  which  was  con- 
siderably longer  than  the  rest  of  the  hair.  The  unseem- 
liness of  this  fashion  occasioned  Mr.  Prynne  to  write  a 
book  in  quarto  against  low  locks. 

The  beard  dwindled  very  gradually  under  the  two 
Charles's,  till  it  was  reduced  to  a  slender  pair  of  whisk- 
ers.    It  became  quite  extinct  in  the  reign  of  James  II., 


14  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 

as  if  its  fatality  had  been  with  that  of  the  unfortunate 
house  of  Stuart. 

Ladies  wore  their  hair  low  on  the  forehead,  and  pack- 
ed in 'very  small  ringlets.  Many  wore  it  curled  like  a 
peruke,  and  some  braided  and  rounded  in  a  knot  on  the 
top  of  the  crown.  They  frequently  wore  strings  of  pearls 
in  their  hair.  Ear-rings,  necklaces,  bracelets,  and  other 
jewels,  were  also  much  worn. 

The  periwig,  which  had  been  long  used  in  France,  was 
introduced  into  England  soon  after  the  restoration.* 

Some  men  of  tender  consciences  were  greatly  scan- 
dalized at  this  article  of  dress  (the  wig,)  as  equally  inde- 
cent with  long  hair,  and  more  culpable,  because  more 
unnatural.  Many  preachers  inveighed  against  it  in 
their  sermons,  and  cut  their  hair  shorter,  to  express  their 
abhorrence  of  the  reigning  mode.  Patches  were  routed 
from  the  toilette  towards  the  close  of  Queen  Anne's 
reign,  as  Addison  insisted  upon  it  that  every  patch  ar- 
gued a  pimple  ;  and  to  wash  away  this  impression,  an 
inundation  of  cold  creams  and  lotions  rushed  in  from  the 
Continent. 


*  There  is  a  tradition,  that  the  large  black  wig  which  Dr. 
R.  R.  bequeathed,  among  other  things  of  much  less  consid- 
eration, to  the  Bodleian  library,  was  worn  by  Charles  II. — 
Vide  Granger's  Biog.  Diet. 


BEAUTY,  AND   FASHION.  15 


CHAPTER   III. 

THE  FOREHEAD  AND  ITS  DECORATIONS. 

A  SYMMETRICAL  developenient  of  the  forehead — or 
what  is  usually  termed  a  high  forehead,  full  and  broad  in 
just  proportion,  without  the  conical  inclination  of  some 
tolerably  high  fronts,  denotes,  in  the  language  of  the 
Phrenologists,  a  predomination  of  the  intellectual  facul- 
ties over  the  animal  qualities,  which  are  lodged  farther 
back,  or  in  the  occiput.  Now,  as  there  is  much  truth  in 
Phrenology,  this  characteristic  of  the  forehead  is  prob- 
ably one  of  its  features,  better  borne  out  and  supported 
by  experience  and  observation  than  many  others.  A 
low  forehead,  with  a  bulky  head  backwards,  inclines 
proportionally  to  the  reverse  of  the  former — namely, 
that  the  animal  qualities  predominate  over  the  intellec- 
tual faculties  ;  that  the  individual  approaches  more  close- 
ly to  the  instinctive  faculties  of  animals,  than  the  culti- 
vated, if  not  innate,  intelligence  of  the  human  species. 
Here  then  we  shall  drop  our  Craneological  remarks  so 
far,  and  commence  our  observations  on  the  beauty  and 
decorations  of  the  forehead." 


*  The  forehead  barely  covered  with   hair,  or  neatly  and 
boldly  exposed,  are  distinguishing  marks  of  the  condition  of 


16  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 

In  every  age  and  country,  the  head-dress  of  the  la- 
dies has  been  more  subject  to  the  capricious  tyranny 
of  fashion  than  the  decoration  of  any  other  part  of  the 
body.  Ancient  authors  abound  with  declamations 
against  the  absurdities  committed  by  women  in  the 
manner  of  dressing  their  hair,  and  against  the  circum- 
stances of  their  taste.  '  You  are  at  a  loss,'  says  Ter- 
tuUian,  '  what  to  be  at  with  your  hair.  Sometimes  you 
put  it  into  a  press ;  at  others,  you  tie  it  negligently 
together,  or  set  it  entirely  at  liberty.  You  raise  or 
lower  it  according  to  your  fancy.  Some  keep  it  closely 
twisted  up  into  curies,  while  others  choose  to  let  it  float 
loosely  in  the  wind ;' — a  proof  that  women  have  ever 
manifested  the  same  love  of  change.  It  is,  therefore, 
in  vain  to  declaim  against  the  practice  of  the  present 
day,  and  to  lay  to  its  account  a  frivolity  not  at  all  pecu- 
liar to  it,  but  the  honour  of  which  it  shares  with  every 
preceding  age.  There  is  now-a-days,  as  formerly,  the 
same  succession  of  good  and  bad  taste,  of  pleasing  or 


life  of  the  wearers,  or  rather  of  the  good  or  bad  taste  of  the 
age.  Fortune  without  taste  is  still  a  mark  of  servile  acquisi- 
tion. The  manners  of  certain  classes  of  individuals  adhere, 
more  or  less,  to  their  origin,  notwithstanding  the  advan- 
tages of  sudden  commercial  or  mechanical  opulence.  Do- 
mestic habits  take  early  root,  and  it  is  only  by  some  casual 
or  portentous  deviation  or  attraction  from  the  aboriginal  trait, 
that  the  descendants  of  opulent  boors  shake  off  the  clown- 
ish husk  of  their  enslaved  predecessors.  The  high  and  un- 
covered forehead  denotes  taste  and  refinement — the  forehead 
covered  over  to  the  very  eyes,  plebeian  origin  and  habits. 


BEAUTY,    AND    FASHIOX,  17 

grotesque  fashions.  To  expect  the  fair  sex,  therefore, 
to  relinquish  the  love  of  change,  would  be  to  require  an 
impossibility.  Let  us,  then,  be  satisfied  with  desiring 
that  caprice  may  not  be  the  motive  of  their  inconstancy, 
and  that  the  changes  they  adopt  may,  at  least,  be  consist- 
ent with  the  principles  of  good  taste. 

The  women  of  the  present  day  are  much  improved  in 
the  management  and  dressing  of  the  hair  ;  though  still 
pretty  generally  exists  the  making  it  fall  in  heavy  curling 
locks  over  the  forehead  and  eyes, — a  custom  totally  at 
variance  with  every  principle  of  good  taste,  and  destruc- 
tive of  every  kind  of  beauty. 

The  large  French  curls,  when  they  do  not  obscure 
the  forehead,  are  divided  on  each  side  of  the  temple 
in  diagonal,  successive  rows.  The  forehead,  the  seat  of 
lovely  candor  and  maiden  purity,  which  the  Greek 
fair  so  carefully  displayed  by  turning  the  hair  on  either 
side  in  a  semi-circle  towards  the  temples,  and  which  so 
exquisitely  terminates  and  completes  the  contour  of  a 
beautiful  face,  ought  not  to  be  concealed  by  the  hair, 
either  in  male  or  female,  as  if  a  mark  were  placed  over 
it.  *  To  give  the  face  the  oval  form  and  the  comple- 
ment of  beauty,'  says  Winkelman,  the  apostle  of 
beauty,  *  the  hair  ought  to  crown  the  forehead,  and  to 
surround  the  temples,  describing  a  portion  of  a  circle, 
as  it  is  in  general  seen  in  beautiful  persons.  This  form 
of  the  forehead  is  so  appropriate  to  all  ideal  heads, 
and  the  juvenile  figures  of  the  ancients,  that  we  meet 

none  with  retreating  angles,  and  destitute  of  hair  above 
3* 


18  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 

the  temples.  Very  few  modern  statuaries  have  made 
this  remark ;  all  the  modern  restorations  which  have 
placed  juvenile  heads  of  men  on  antique  trunks,  are 
distinguishable  at  first  sight  by  the  faulty  composition 
of  the  hair,  which  advances  in  salient  angles  upon  the 
forehead.' 

On  this  point,  Lavater  concurs  in  the  same  opinion 
with  Winkelman;  and  the  ancients  thought  the  hair 
produced  a  very  bad  effect  if  it  descended  so  low  as  to 
hide  the  forehead.  Lucian,  designing  to  represent,  in 
the  most  ludicrous  manner,  the  hair  of  an  ugly  woman, 
says  that  it  was  short,  flat,  and  glued  down  as  it  were  to 
her  forehead — which  might  lead  us,  indeed,  were  the  cir- 
cumstance not  so  remote,  to  imagine  he  was  either  de- 
scribing some  of  our  modern  belles,  or  an  Esquimaux  In- 
dian. The  ancients,  in  fine,  never  represented  men  with 
short  straight  hair  upon  the  forehead,  if  we  except  their 
statues  of  Hercules.  In  this  case,  it  was  looked  upon  as 
an  emblem  of  strength,  in  allusion  to  the  hair  which 
grows  between  the  horns  of  the  bull.  Sidonius  Apolli- 
naris,  in  describing  the  Franks  of  the  fifth  century,  says, 
*  you  have  conquered  monsters  whose  hair  falls  down  up- 
on the  forehead,  while  it  is  cropped  quite  close  down  be- 
hind.' The  Franks  then  dressed  their  hair,  fourteen  cen- 
turies ago,  like  the  generality  of  our  modern  belles  some 
years  since ;  and  the  coachmen,  pugilists,  and  others  of 
the  present  day. 

Not  only  the  Roman  women  wore  long  hair,  but  the 
fashionables   of  the   opposite   sex,   who  endeavored   in 


BEAUTY,     AND     FASHION.  19 

their  costume  to  copy  the  feminine  graces,  also  wore 
their  hair  very  long,  as  Juvenal,  Ovid,  and  other  writers 
inform  us. 

The  bushy,  shock-hke  manner  of  covering  the  fore- 
head with  a  profusion  of  hair,  even  in  curls,  as  worn 
by  the  loungers,  dandies,  and  mimic  railitaires,  is  re- 
volting to  the  countenance  of  a  man ;  and  not  only  do 
Buch  effeminate  appendages  subtract  from  youth,  aspect, 
and  manliness  of  appearance,  but  frequently  leave  us  in 
doubt  of  the  gender  of  the  individual,  with  other  im- 
pressions derogatory  to  the  honor,  sentiments,  and  taste 
of  Englishmen.  We  mean  not  to  imply  that  our  heads, 
as  well  as  those  of  the  ladies,  ought  not  to  come  within 
the  proper  sphere  of  the  artist,  and  indeed  nothing  is 
more  becoming  and  proper ;  but  we  declaim  against  the 
introduction  of  foreign  locks,  curls,  and  fripperies,  which 
serve  to  baboonize  and  obscure,  rather  than  to  ornament 
and  illustrate  the  face  of  man,  however  whimsical  or 
parsimonious  nature  may  have  been  in  the  moulding  of 
it.  As  regards  the  ladies,  we  would  still  recommend 
them  to  copy  the  Greek  style,  not  only  in  their  head- 
dresses, tiie  principal  ornament  of  the  body,  but  also  in 
their  garments,  as  closely  as  the  manners  and  customs  of 
the  country,  combined  with  good  sense  and  modesty,  will 
permit. 

Our  milliners,  indeed,  bear  away  from  our  painters 
the  palm  of  invention ;  and  if  our  designers  wish  to  pro- 
duce something  truly  ridiculous  in  the  variety  of  the 
head-dresses,  particularly   bonnets,  they   have   only   to 


20  THE    TOILETTK    OF    HEALTH, 

copy  some  of  the  specimens  of  the  present  day.  We  have 
heard  of  Love  in  a  hood;  but  it  was  reserved  for  the  pres- 
ent age  to  display  the  Graces  in  bonnets.  The  introduc- 
tion, however,  of  this  huge  fashion  is  not  without  its  ad- 
vantages ;  it  produces  a  very  happy  effect  in  caricatures, 
and  some  of  our  artists  have  not  failed  to  profit  by  it ;  it 
gives  employment  to  our  fair  marchandes  de  mode,  and 
occupies  the  more  industrious  part  of  the  sex,  who  de- 
pend for  support  on  honorable  exertion  and  fair  compe- 
tition. 

We  shall  conclude  our  observations  on  head-dresses 
with  the  following  remarks : — It  may  be  asked,  how 
ought  the  head  to  be  dressed  ?  Perhaps  it  may  be 
replied,  chacun  a  son  gout.  The  ladies  themselves,  how- 
ever, would  find  no  difficulty  in  resolving  the  question, 
would  they  give  themselves  the  trouble  to  look  afler 
the  head-dress  which  best  becomes  them,  and  not  that 
which  is  most  in  vogue  ;  and  if  they  would  not  all 
adopt  the  same  fashion,  seeing  that  what  becomes  one 
may  not  become  another.  Different  complexions,  stat- 
ures, shapes,  busts,  gaits,  &c.,  would  group  but  un- 
seemly under  the  same  head  covering,  be  it  cap  or 
bonnet.  A  small  head  cannot  possibly  look  well  in  the 
dress  required  by  a  head  of  larger  dimensions,  and 
yet  this  preposterous  transposition  is  observable  every 
day. 

One,  for  instance,  has  a  diminutive  phiz,  and  a  snub 
or  what  is  usually  ycleped  a  pug  nose ;  who  sees 
another  whose  elegant,  noble,  and   well-adapted   head- 


BEAUTY,    ASD    FASHION.  21 

dress,  commands  universal  admiration ;  and  \vhose 
features  are  cast  in  a  Roman  mould  ;  her  figure  con- 
sequently requiring  larger  ornaments,  and  greater  capa- 
city in  the  articles  of  attire.  Now,  for  the  purpose  of 
better  illustration,  Julia,  whose  face  is  diminutive,  and 
who  knows  not  why  this  head-dress  looks  so  well  upon 
Amelia,  adopts  it  the  next  day  because  it  does  look 
well,  and  next  day  the  httle  Julia  looks  truly  ridi- 
culous. 

Again,  Lucretia  has  fine  eyes,  but  her  mouth  is  not 
so  handsome.  Caroline's  eyes  are  less  beautiful,  but 
her  smile  is  enchanting.  A  hat  placed  very  low  would 
ill-become  Lucretia,  since  it  would  conceal  her  principal 
charms,  and  leave  nothing  in  view  but  imperfections  ; 
whereas  the  very  same  constructed  liat  would  be  a  most 
advantageous  head-dress  for  Caroline,  as  it  would  throw 
a  favourable  shade  over  her  eyes,  and  give  additional 
lustre  and  attraction  to  the  prettiest  mouth  in  the 
world.  It  might,  in  fine,  be  proved  by  many  other 
instances,  that  every  woman  as  well  as  every  man  ought 
to  have  an  appropriate  costume,  and  that  they  will 
always  be  dressed,  if  they  consult  not  the  fashion  but 
their  looking-glass.  If  a  lady  does  not  say  to  her  hair- 
dresser, I  will  have  my  hair  dressed  like  Miss  or  Mrs. 
So-and-so — but,  I  will  have  it  trimmed  and  arranged  in 
the  manner  which  will  best  become  me  ;  if  she  knows, 
for  instance,  that  a  head-dress  which  stands  forward  and 
looks  very  well  on  a  woman  with  a  prominent  nose  and 
chin,  makes  a  person  with  i   very  small  nose  and   flat 


22  THE    TOILETTE  OF    HEALTH, 

chin,  appear  perfectly  ridiculous.  Above  all,  let  us 
have  no  monstrously  large  head-dresses.  The  frame 
ought  not  to  have  a  greater  superfice  than  the  ;  picture  ; 
for  then  the  former,  which  ought  to  be  an  accessory 
would  become  the  principal  object.  Such  is  precisely 
the  case  with  a  head-dress  of  too  great  size  :  the  face  is 
buried  in  it.  Excess  in  height  or  breadth  is  equally 
ridiculous,  and  absurdities  of  this  kind  have  had  their 
day  like  all  others,  and  at  the  present  period  large 
overwhelming  bonnets  were  never  more  in  unfasliiona- 
ble  arrd  inconvenient  vogue. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

FORMATION  AXD  STRUCTURE   OF  THE  HAIR— OF  THE 
SKIN. 

To  understand  the  hair  properly,  it  is  necessary  to 
possess  some  knowledge  of  the  skin  from  which  it 
grows. 

The  skin  is  composed  of  three  different  tunics  or 
layers : — a  thin  one  like  India  paper,  being  outermost, 
which  by  anatomists  is  called  the  epidemis  or  scarf  skin, 
and  is  not  an  organized  body,  for  no  nerves  or  vessels 


BEAUTV,    AND    FASHION.  23 

have  ever  been  traced  to  it.  It  may  rather  be  consider- 
ed as  a  covering  resulting  from  the  drying  of  the  external 
layers  of  the  mucous  membrane.  Its  use  appears  to  be 
to  blunt  the  otherwise  too  acute  sensibility  of  the  true 
skin  properly  so  called,  and  to  protect  it  from  the  impres- 
sion of  external  bodies.  The  next  layer,  a  kind  of  gluti- 
nous, slimy  pulp,  or  paint,  in  form  of  a  membrane,  which 
determines  the  color  ;  and  within  these  two,  a  thick, 
strong,  leathery  coat,  usually  called  the  true  skin.  To 
be  brief,  the  human  skin  has  a  similar  number  of  layers 
or  coats  to  the  bark  of  a  tree.  It  is  to  be  recollected, 
also,  that  the  outer  layer,  like  the  nails,  has  no  feeling — 
a  useful  quality,  which  serves  to  protect  the  great  sensi- 
bility of  the  inner  skin,  where  the  nerves  terminate  in 
millions. 

Now,  if  you  extract  a  hair  from  any  part  of  your  skin, 
and  survey  its  root  with  a  magnifying  glass,  you  will 
perceive  it  of  an  oval  form,  and  composed  of  a  softish, 
glutinous,  or  pulpy  matter,  contained  in  a  semi-trans- 
parent bag,  open  at  the  lower  end  to  receive  nerves  and 
blood-vessels,  and  at  the  upper  to  receive  this  hair. 
The  root  is  fixed  in  the  substance  of  the  inner  skin,  by 
which  it  is  nourished  with  blood  and  other  fluids.  The 
roots  of  the  hair  are  planted  here  in  great  profusion  over 
the  whole  body,  and  what  is  very  remarkable  and  little 
known,  is,  that  in  every  individual,  many  more  roots 
exist  than  hairs  growing  from  them ;  a  fact  further 
corroborated  by  hairs  often  appearing  on  the  nose  and 
ears  of  men,  aod  on  the  arms  of  women,  where  they  were 


24  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 

before  wanting/  It  is  considered,  therefore,  a  vulgar 
error  that  the  roots  of  the  hair  are  destroyed,  or  perish, 
in  cases  of  baldness,  though  they  cease  to  grow  above 
the  skin.  It  is  probable,  and  possible  indeed,  for  the 
roots  of  the  hair,  as  well  as  the  skin  in  which  they  are 
planted,  to  be  destroyed  by  accident,  or  by  ulceration 
and  other  disorders  ;  but  this,  we  maintain,  does  not  oc- 
cur from  fevers,  or  in  either  the  young  or  the  old  who 
become  bald.  In  all  such  cases,  the  roots  of  the  hair 
can,  by  dissection  after  death,  be  found  equally  numer- 
ous as  in  those  who  are  not  bald,  and  the  cause  of  the 
baldness  must  be  sought  elsewhere,  as  will  afterwards  be 
seen,  when  speaking  of  the  remedies. 

There  is  another  important  fact,  which  we  believe  was 
discovered  by  Mr.  Chevalier — namely,  that  the  hairs  do 
not  rise  perpendicularly  from  their  roots,  but  pass  very 
obliquely,  and  at  an  acute  angle,  through  the  two  outer 
coats  of  the  skin,  serving  to  bind  these  down  to  the  inner 
coat,  as  if  nature  had  used  the  hairs  for  sewing-thread. 
This  fact  explains  the  direction  and  flat  position  of 
the  hairs  on  the  eye-brows  and  other  parts  ;  and  shows 
the  reason  why  the  hairs  stick  so  fast,  and  are  pulled 
out  with  such  difficulty.  But  what  is  of  the  greatest 
consequence  in  our  opinion,  is,  that  it  explains  how  the 
roots  of  the  hair  may  exist  healthy,  vigorous,  and  per 


*  See  Mr.  Chevalier's  Lectures,  delivered  before  the  Royal 
College  of  Surgeons,  London,  1823,  8vo.  And  Dr.  Good's 
Study  of  Medicine,  vol.  iv.  p.  663. 


BEAUTV,    AND    FASHION.  25 

feet,  and  the  outer  coats  of  the  skin  may  be  so  hard,  dry, 
or  thickened,  as  to  prevent  them  from  penetrating  it  as 
they  may  have  formerly  done. 

Each  hair  is  formed  of  ten  or  twelve  smaller  hairs, 
which  unite  at  the  root,  and  form  a  hollow  tube  some- 
what like  a  very  fine  stalk  of  grass,  jointed  at  intervals. 
The  joints  appear  to  overlap  each  other,  as  if  one  small 
tube  were  inserted  into  that  which  is  nearest  to  it,  and 
so  on  to  the  end  of  the  hair.  This  structure,  though 
invisible  to  the  naked  eye,  may  be  made  manifest  to 
the  touch.  Take  a  hair  several  inches  long,  and  work  it 
between  your  thumb  and  finger,  and  you  will  find  that 
it  will  always  work  towards  the  top  end,  and  never  (turn 
it  as  you  will)  towards  the  root  end — proving  that  the 
rough  over-lappings  are  all  directed  to  the  top.  It  is 
this  property  that  the  hat-maker  takes  advantage  of  in 
making  his  felt,  and  the  dyer  in  fixing  his  colors  ;  and 
we  shall  by-and-by,  see  its  advantage  in  devices  for 
beautifying  the  hair. 

Like  the  outer  skin  and  the  nails,  the  hollow  tube  of 
the  hair  is  semi-transparent,  and  takes  the  color  of  the 
matter  which  rises  iij  this  tube  from  the  root.  It  follows, 
indeed,  pretty  uniformly  the  color  of  the  skin,  being 
very  dark  in  the  negro,  and  always  white  in  the  Albino, 
while  it  takes  all  intermediate  shades  in  Europeans — 
flaxen,  auburn,  carroty.  The  hair  corresponds  also  to 
the  color  of  the  eyes ;  light  hair  seldom  or  never  ac- 
companying dark  eyes.  From  these  facts  we  shall  find 
it  easy  to  explain  the  causes  of  grey  hairs,  and  the  best 


26  THE    TOILETTE    OF  HEALTH. 

methods  of  darkening  them.  When  you  cut  the  nails 
they  go  on  to  grow  again  ;  and  so  with  the  hair,  not  by 
extending  from  the  root  end,  but  by  additions  to  the  top 
end.  It  grows  best  when  it  is  cut ;  and  not  only  so, 
but  the  shorter  it  is  cut  the  more  rapidly  it  will  grow, 
as  is  seen  in  the  rapid  growth  of  the  beard. 

STRUCTURE  AND  VEGETATION  OF  HAIR. 

Mr.  Harriot  examined  both  the  structure  and  vegeta- 
tion of  hairs.  They  do  not  grow,  he  says,  as  plants, 
which  shoot  forth  their  sap  into  their  fibres  and  bark, 
to  the  extremities  of  their  branches ;  but  as  nails,  so 
that  what  is  last  formed  of  them  drives  forward  and 
out  of  the  flesh  what  was  already  formed.  If  the 
hairs  should  be  dyed  into  a  color  from  what  they  are 
naturally,  that  which  grows  anew  near  the  skin  of  the 
head,  is  of  a  diSerent  color  from  the  rest.  Hairs  are 
composed  of  five  or  six  fibres,  enclosed  in  a  tube,  most 
commonly  cylindrical,  but  sometimes  oval  or  angular. 
This  is  easily  discernible  by  the  microscope,  and  even 
by  the  naked  eye  ;  for  when  the  hairs  split,  it  is  the 
tube  that  splits  and  opens,  and  the  fibres  that  sepa- 
rate. 

The  fibres  and  tube  of  the  hair  are  transparent,  and 
this  multiplicity  of  transparent  fibres  should  have  in 
regard  to  rays,  the  same  effect  as  a  glass  cut  facet-wise. 
Thus  when  a  hair  is  held  near  the  sight  of  the  eye, 
in  looking  at  a  bougie  at  a  short  distance,  a  ray  is  seen 
to  appear  on    each  side  of  the  bougie,   and  each  ray 


BEACTY,    AND    FASHION.  27 

is  composed  of  three  or  four  small,  somewhat  obscure 
and  colored  images  of  the  bougie,  which  proves  that 
every  fibre  of  the  hair  makes  appear  by  refraction  a 
bougie  separate  from  the  rest ;  and  as  refraction  only 
produces  colors,  those  of  every  of  the  bougies  prove 
the  same. 

Those  who  have  attributed  all  the  rays  that  appear 
about  candles  to  the  reflections  made  on  the  edge  of 
the  eye-lids,  are  therefore  mistaken.  Those  reflections 
produce  but  two  rays,  one  upper,  and  the  other  lower, 
and  their  light  is  also  very  white,  because  they  are  only 
reflected.  But  all  the  others  that  are  colored  come 
from  refractions  made  in  the  hairs  of  the  eye-lids  ;  and 
much  more  of  them  are  seen,  when  a  great  number  of 
rays  are  made  to  pass  through  the  eye-lids  by  half 
shutting  the  same  ;  and  none  of  them  are  seen  when 
the  eves  are  wide  open. 


28  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 


CHAPTER    V. 


ON  THE  CAUSES  OF  GREY  HAIR,  BALDNESS,  ETC. 


The  hair,  as  has  been  shown  in  the  preceding  chapter, 
is  composed  of  a  root  and  a  hollow  jointed  stem,  into 
which  a  coloring  oil  rises.  From  these  facts  may  be 
deduced  a  very  rational  account  of  the  causes,  both 
of  baldness  and  grey  hair — and  it  is  a  medical  maxim 
to  which  there  are  few  exceptions,  that  a  disease  can 
very  seldom  be  cured  unless  its  cause  be  known.  If, 
therefore,  a  satisfactory  account  of  the  causes  of  grey 
hair  and  baldness  can  be  given,  we  put  you  half  in  pos- 
session of  their  remedies,  even  though  we  go  no  further  ; 
or,  at  the  very  least,  show  you  why  no  remedy  need  be 
tried.  It  is  supposed  by  Dr.  Darwin  and  others,  that 
the  vivid  white  reflected  from  the  winter  snow,  is  the 
cause  of  animals  in  the  high  northern  latitudes  be- 
coming white  in  winter.  This  singular  change  takes 
place  in  our  country  in  two  instances.  The  Alpine  hare 
and  the  ptarmigan,  or  mountain  partridge,  though 
brownish  grey  in  summer,  becomes  wholly  white  as 
soon  as  the  snow  begins  to  cover  their  places  of  resort. 


JIKAL'TV,   AND    FASHION.  29 

J)r.  Darwin's  opinion  on  this  subject  seems  to  be 
derived  from  the  camelon,  which  is  said  to  take  the 
color  of  every  object  at  which  it  looks.  If  it  looks  at 
a  field  of  grass,  it  becomes  green  ;  if  it  looks  at  the 
sky,  it  becomes  blue ;  if  it  look  at  snow  it  becomes 
"white.  He  accordingly  maintained,  that  it  was  the 
action  of  the  white  snow  upon  their  eyes,  which  turned 
all  the  Polar  animals  white  in  winter  ;  and  for  a  similar 
reason  he  ■would  infer  that  larks  are  grey,  because  they 
frequent  sandy  fields  ;  and  canaries  yellow,  because 
they  are  reared  in  brass  wire  cages  !  The  doctor  forgets 
to  inform  us  how  cattle  and  sheep  escape  becoming 
green,  or  how  a  painter  escapes  having  his  face  va- 
riegated with  all  the  colors  of  the  rainbow. 

On  the  contrary,  we  are  strongly  inclined  to  believe, 
that  the  winter  white  color  of  the  Polar  animals  is 
mainly  to  be  attributed  to  the  cold.  For  were  it  pos- 
sible by  any  means  to  contract  the  skin  at  the  roots  of 
the  hair,  so  as  to  compress  the  tube,  and  prevent  the 
colored  oil  from  rising,  there  will  only  remain  the  dry 
body  of  the  hair,  and  it  will  of  course  be  white.  Such 
a  contraction  of  the  skin  may  be  produced  by  cold,  by 
grief,  or  fear,  as  well  as  by  fevers  and  other  disorders 
of  the  system;  and  the  skin,  independent  of  the  hair, 
will  assume  a  similar  appearance  to  a  fowl  stripped  of 
its  feathers.  Every  one  has  heard  of  instances  of  the 
hair  being,  by  grief  or  fear, 

Turned  white 

In  a  single  night 

4^ 


30  THE    TOILETTE    OF  HEALTH, 

and  this,  we  conceive,  is  the  true  explanation  of  the 
occurrence.  Dr.  Parr  explains  the  hair  becoming  grey 
on  chemical  principles ;  he  thinks  that  some  acid  is 
generated  by  the  depressing  passions,  which  whitens 
the  hair  as  bleaching  liquor  whitens  cloth  ;  which,  it 
must  be  admitted,  is  rather  far-fetched.  The  principle 
to  which  we  refer  the  cause  of  the  hair  becoming  grey  in 
old  age,  gives  a  clearer  explanation,  as  at  that  period 
the  skin,  like  the  bones,  shrinks  and  contracts  for  want 
of  moisture ;  and  the  same  effects  will  follow  in  the 
young,  from  any  cause  that  will  make  the  skin  shrink 
and  contract  so  sa  to  strangle  the  hair  at  its  roots,  and 
prevent  the  colored  oil  from  rising  in  its  tube.  The 
same  principle  will  show  the  utter  inefficiency  of  most 
of  the  advertised  remedies  and  preventives;  as,  unless 
they  be  directed  to  the  removal  or  prevention  of  the 
cause,  it  is  quite  impossible  that  they  can  be  successful. 
Grey  hair  is,  therefore,  a  mark  of  shrunk  and  con- 
tracted skin — whether  it  be  the  effect  of  external  causes, 
such  as  cold;  or  internal  causes,  such  as  grief,  fear, 
headache,  too  much  application  to  business,  intensity 
of  thought ;  and  wlrether  it  occur  in  manhood  or  old 
age. 

There  is  another  cause  of  the  hair  turning  grey 
worthy  of  being  noticed  from  its  extensive  influence. 
It  is  well  known  that  the  bones  are  composed  chiefly 
of  lime,  jelly,  and  oil  ;  but  the  lime  often  predominates 
so  much  that  the  bones  are  rendered  extremely  brit- 
tle ;   and   often,   also,   bones   are    formed    in  the  heart, 


BEAUTY,    AND    FASHION.  31 

brain,  and  other  substances,  where  they  produce  serious 
trouble.  The  brittleness  of  the  bones  is  sometimes  so 
great  that  a  fit  of  coughing  will  break  them.  Dr.  Good 
informs  us  that  he  once  saw  an  old  woman  break  both 
her  thigh-bones  by  simply  kneeling  at  church,  and  on 
raising  her  up  her  arm-bone  also  snapped.  Now  this 
superabundance  of  lime  in  the  body  is  caused  by  every 
sort  of  intemperance  and  external  indulgence,  or,  in  a 
word,  by  whatever  robs  the  body  of  its  juices;  and  it  is 
consequently,  the  usual  attendant  of  old  age,  when  the 
juices  fail.  When  it  does  occur,  the  tubes  of  the  hair, 
at  the  roots,  seem  to  be  obstructed  by  this  lime  :  the 
coloring  oil  cannot  of  course  get  into  the  stem  of  the 
hair,  and  it  becomes  grey,  dry,  and  brittle,  like  the  old 
lady's  bones  just  mentioned.  The  same  thing  has  been 
known  to  follow  small-pox,  scrofula,  and  some  other 
diseases,  which  may  therefore  be  also  a  cause  of  the 
hair  ti;rning  grey. 


32  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

ATTENTIONS  NECESSARY    TO    THE    HAIR.     CAUTIOUS 
REMOVAL  OF  SCURF.     HEALTH  OF  THE  HEAD,  &c. 

The  hair  requires  particular  attention  to  keep  it  in 
order,  and  to  produce  that  pleasing  appearance  which 
every  one  possessing  any  personal  pride  and  gentility 
of  appearance  is  so  anxious  to  produce.  The  first  and 
principal  object  is  to  keep  the  head  clean  ;  and  to  re- 
move the  scurf  which  forms  upon  the  scalp  by  the 
combination  of  the  grosser  particles  of  the  perspirable 
matter  that  is  deposited  upon  it,  with  the  exterior 
portion  of  the  outer  skin,  which  may  very  easily  be 
removed. 

To  prevent  the  accumulation  of  scurf,  which  is  not 
only  likely  to  prove  prejudicial  to  health,  but  to  lay 
the  foundation  of  eruptions,  the  hair  should  be  reg- 
ularly cleansed  with  a  small  tooth  comb ;  and  occa- 
sionally purified  either  with  hair-powder,  bran,  or  ivory 
powder. 

The  practice,  which  of  late  years  appears  to  have 
gained  ground,  of  washing  the  head  with  water,  either 
warm  or  cold,  requires  considerable  judgment,  as  from 
it  not  unfrequently  result  head-ache,  ear-ache,  tooth- 
ache, and  complaints  of  the   eyes.     Let  the  following 


BEAUTY,    AND    FASHION.  33 

observations  of  an  experienced  professional  man  ope- 
rate, therefore,  as  a  caution  : — '  Beneath  the  paternal 
roof,  this  operation  is  frequently  performed  by  inexpe- 
rienced youth,  from  time  to  time,  in  secret;  in  some 
boarding-schools,  on  the  contrary,  every  head  is  sub- 
jected to  it  by  the  regulations  of  the  house  :  it  is  found 
to  be  a  method  of  cleaning  them  equally  easy  and 
expeditious.  You  afterwards  hear  complaints  that  the 
children  are  afflicted  with  tooth-ache,  and  that  it  is 
often  necessary  to  draw  their  teeth.  Instead  of  seek- 
ing elsewhere  for  the  cause,  nothing  but  this  act  of 
cleanliness  is  in  most  cases  to  blame.  Look  at  those 
children  whose  heads  are  scarcely  ever  dry ;  their 
pallid  faces  will  never  be  enlivened  by  the  rich  color 
of  adolescence,  and  the  smiles  of  infancy  will  be 
speedily  succeeded  by  the  wrinkles  of  age.  It  is  in 
vain  to  urge  that  the  hair  is  well  dressed  ;  the  water 
that  remains  is  always  sufficient  to  obstruct  the  perspi- 
ration, to  keep  the  root  continually  wet,  and  the  brain 
in  a  state  of  constant  humidity,  of  which  obstructed 
perspiration  furnishes  an  abundant  source.  Those  as- 
suredly possessed  great  experience  who  transmitted  to 
us  this  precept,  "  to  wash  the  hands  often,  the  feet 
seldom,  and  the  head  never."  ' 

When  the  scurf  upon  the  external  scalp  is  very  co- 
pious, and  it  does  not  suffer  itself  to  be  removed  by  the 
usual  means,  it  is  a  symptom  of  some  vice  in  the 
humors  and  glands  of  the  skin  ;  in  this  case  it  may  be 
necessary  to  have   recourse  to  fomentations.     For   this 


34  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 

purpose  the  decoctions  of  the  roots  of  briony,  mallows, 
or  borage,  in  water,  or  in  wine  if  they  are  intended  to 
be  more  tonic.  And  particular  care  should  be  observed 
not  to  employ  astringents  or  repellents  for  this  purpose, 
such  as  certain  plants  and  alum,  for  such  fomentations, 
since  it  would  be  dangerous  to  drive  back  the  humors 
of  which  nature  strives  by  this  means  to  divest  herself. 

The  fomentations  here  described  ought  to  be  seconded 
by  a  mild  regimen,  exercise,  bathing,  gentle  opening 
medicine,  and  clean  linen.  It  is  advisable  also  to  avoid 
extremes  of  heat,  as  well  as  intense  cold,  and  to  keep 
the  head  covered  ;  precautions  which  will  be  sufficient 
to  prevent  the  inconveniences  arising  from  too  violent  a 
perspiration  of  the  head. 

Next  to  the  attentions  to  be  paid  to  the  cleanliness  of 
the  hair,  there  is  a  variety  of  diseases  of  the  scalp  which 
come  more  immediately  under  the  treatment  of  the 
medical  practitioner,  such  as  ringworm,  tetter,  scalled 
head ;  all  of  which,  cleanliness,  and  a  good  habit  of 
body,  will  in  a  great  measure  prevent.  After  these  come 
those  which  should  be  bestowed  on  the  beauty  of  the 
hair  :  we  allude  here  to  the  pomatums,  ointments,  and 
other  compositions,  which  possess  the  property  of  keep- 
ing the  hair  in  a  proper  state,  of  making  it  grow,  and 
even  return,  after  it  has  been  entirely  removed. 


BEAUTY,    AXD    FASHION.  35 


CHAPTER  VII. 


OF  HAIR  OINTMENTS,    POWDERS,   OILS,    WATERS,   &c. 

There  is  little  question  that  the  hair  may  be  nourish- 
ed and  ameliorated  by  certain  ointments  being  rubbed 
upon  it,  which  accelerate  its  growth,  and  increase  its 
beauty.  But  when  once  the  hair  has  fallen  off  entirely, 
and  especially  when  it  is  totally  lost  for  any  consider- 
able time,  the  question  is,  how  far  it  is  possible  to 
make  it  return  ?  The  secret,  we  apprehend,  of  restor- 
ing the  hair  under  such  circumstances  remains  still  a 
desideratum,  notwithstanding  the  pompous  puffs  with 
which  the  public  press  teems  from  day  to  day.  We  do 
not  mean  to  say  that  the  thing  is  impossible  ;  indeed,  it 
may  be  that  experiments,  sufficiently  numerous  and 
long  continued,  have  not  been  made  on  the  various  sub- 
stances which  are  reported  to  possess  the  property  of 
making  the  hair  come  again.  The  ancients,  it  its  con- 
ceived, were  much  wiser  on  this  subject  than  we  are  at 
the  present  day,  if  one  may  judge  from  the  high  value 
which  they  set  upon  the  hair,  and  the  kind  of  disgrace 
which  they  attached  to  baldness. 

As  regards  the  modems,  the  ready  resource  of  wigs 
saves  them  the   trouble   of  making   the  necessary  re- 


36  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 

searches  and  experiments,  in  order  to  discover  a  remedy 
for  the  loss  of  hair.  It  may  nevertheless  be  rationally 
entertained,  that  a  series  of  well-conducted  experiments 
on  this  subject  might  lead  to  the  discovery  of  some 
agent  that  might  answer  so  desirable  a  purpose  ;  some 
observation  has  already  furnished  wnth  numerous 
instances  of  hair  having  spontaneously  grown  again 
upon  a  head  long  deprived  of  its  principal  orna- 
ment. There  are  numerous  examples  of  very  aged 
people,  among  whom  many  who  had  completed  their 
century,  whose  bald  heads  have  been  newly  covered 
with  very  elegant  hair.  All  these  facts  show,  that  such 
a  phenomenon  would  be  more  frequent  if  art  had  dis- 
covered the  means  of  assisting  nature,  or  rather  if  the 
secret  could  be  found  out  for  the  production  of  animal 
vegetation. 

The  substances  in  most  general  use  at  the  present 
day,  and  whose  virtues  are  most  highly  extolled  for  the 
restoration  and  improvement  of  the  hair,  are,  bear's 
grease,  beef  marrow,  olive  oil,  oil  of  almonds  both 
sweet  and  bitter  :  oil  of  nuts,  of  camomile,  and  of  laurel ; 
goose  grease,  fox  grease,  fresh  butter,  and  burnt  butter, 
bees  burnt,  and  pounded  in  oil  of  roses ;  with  various 
other  pomades  and  high-sounding  preparations. 

Oleaginous  substances,  moderately  used,  certainly 
nourish  the  hair,  but  excess  in  the  use  of  them  must  be 
avoided,  since  their  superabundance  w^ould  produce  a 
contrary  effect,  and  cause  the  hair  to  fall  off,  which  not 
unfrequently  has  been  the  case.     Some  use  brandy,  or 


•  BEAUTV,    AXD    FASHION.  37 

honey  water,  to  make  the  hair  grow,  which  is  said  to 
be  a  still  better  specific.  The  juice  of  cresses  and  of  on- 
ions is  recommended  by  the  school  of  Salernum  for  the 
same  purpose.  And  by  some,  the  juice  of  the  white  on- 
ion is  preferred  to  the  other  kinds.  Mention  is  also  made 
of  nettle  juice,  sage,  southernwood,  dell ;  the  ashes  of 
rats,  moles,  hedghogs,  and  such  like  unseemly  articles, 
which  it  is  now  well  ascertained  possess  no  other  prop- 
erty than  that  of  exciting  disgust.  From  a  variety  of 
processes  in  making  some  compositions  in  high  repute 
for  making  the  hair  grow,  we  extract  the  following,  to 
which  we  annex  such  observations  as  may  tend  to  give 
them  the  proper  quantum  of  merit. 

1. — Ointment  for  the  Hair. 

The  editors  of  the  '  Dictiomiirc  (V Industrie,''  from 
which  the  following  recipe  is  copied,  assert  that  they 
have  often  witnessed  the  most  surprising  effects  from 
its  use. 

Take  an  ounce  of  beef  marrow,  to  which  add  an  ounce 
of  grease  skimmed  from  unsalted  pot  liquor,  and  boil 
them  together  in  a  pipkin.  Strain  this  mixture,  and 
add  to  it  an  ounce  of  the  oil  of  ben.  Let  this  be  used 
occasionally,  and  the  hair  well  combed  and  brushed,  both 
before  and  after  its  use,  to  remove  the  previous  scurf, 
and  to  work  the  preparation  well  into  tiie  roots  of  the 
hair,  and  along  the  tubes. 

Obs. — Beef  marrow  applied  moderately  to  the  hair  of 
the  head  nourishes  it,  and  communicates  to  it  a  fine  gloss 


38  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 

as  may  frequently  be  seen  among  butchers,  who  often 
apply  it.  Whatever  therefore  nourishes,  strengthens. 
The  marrow  also  gives  it  a  disposition  to  curl.  The 
oil  of  ben  has  long  entered  into  preparations  for  making 
the  hair  grow,  and  if  a  little  of  the  essence  of  lemon, 
burgamot,  or  other  perfume  were  added,  it  would,  at 
least,  improve  its  fragrance,  and  preserve  it  against 
rancidity. 

2.-^71  Oil  for  the  Hair. 

The  following  preparation,  it  is  said,  causes  the  hair 
to  grow  again  very  rapidly. 

Take  half  a  pound  of  southernwood,  and  let  it  be 
slightly  pounded,  boil  it  in  a  pound  and  a  half  of  old 
olive  oil,  and  half  a  pint  of  port  wine  ;  when  these  in- 
gredients are  throughly  impregnated,  take  them  off  the 
fire,  and  strain  out  the  liquor  well  through  a  linen  cloth. 
Repeat  the  operation  three  times,  with  fresh  southern- 
wood; and  this  being  done,  add  to  the  filtered  liquor 
two  ounces  of  bear's  grease. 

Obs. — The  southernwood  being  an  aromatic,  may  pre- 
serve the  oil  and  bear's  grease  from  becoming  too  soon 
rancid  J  and  the  alkaline  salt  which  it  contains  may 
otherwise  correct  the  too  emollient  properties  of  the  oil, 
by  partially  neutralizing  it.  In  any  other  respect  it 
may  not,  as  far  as  our  knowledge  goes,  possess  any  ad- 
vantage over  similar  oleaginous  compositions  for  the 
hair.  The  same  attention  to  cleanliness,  and  prevent- 
ing  the  greasy   accumulations  on    the  scalp  about  the 


BEAUTY,    AND    FASHION.  39 

roots  of  tlie  hair,  and  to  prevent  the  hairs  themselves 
from  matting,  and  attracting  dust,  is  necessary,  as  already 
directed. 

'3.— Hair  Water. 

Take  three  table-spoonsful  of  honey  and  three  pugils  of 
vine-tendrils.  Pound  the  tendrils  well,  and  express  the 
juice.  Mix  it  with  the  honey.  With  this  composition 
the  part  where  the  hair  is  wished  to  be  long  and  thick, 
are  directed  to  be  washed. 

Obs. — This  composition,  we  apprehend,  would  be 
somewhat  too  clammy  without  the  addition  of  some 
liquid — for  this  purpose,  we  recommend  a  gill  of  Ja- 
maica rum  and  half  a  gill  of  ^vater.  The  hair-brush 
will  be  requisite  after  the  use  of  the  water  ;  not  so  much, 
however,  after  its  immediate  use  as  after  it  has  been  for 
some  time  impregnated  with  the  hair.  From  its  gentle 
adhesiveness,  it  will  give  the  hair  any  form  that  may  be 
wished. 

4. — Another  Ointment. 

Take  two  ounces  of  bear's  grease ;  half  an  ounce  of 
honey;  six  drachms  of  laudanum  ;  three  drachms  of  the 
powder  of  southernwood ;  three  drachms  of  the  balsam  of 
Peru ;  one  and  a  half  drachm  of  the  ashes  of  the  roots 
of  bulrushes,  and  a  small  quantity  of  the  oil  of  sweet 
almonds. 

Obs. — ^The  two  first  ingredients  we  believe  constitute 
the  essential  part  of  the  preparation.     The  others  may 


40  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 

assist  in  preserving  the  mixture  from  becoming  rancid, 
and  communicating  to  it  an  agreeable  odor. 

5. — A  Poioder  for  Preserving  the  Hair. 

The  following  powder  has  the  name  at  least  of  facili- 
tating the  regeneration  of  the  hair,  and  strengthening 
its  roots.  Still  more  valuable  properties  have  been  as- 
cribed to  it, — such  as  that  of  rousing  the  imagination  to 
vigorous  efforts,  and  strengthening  the  memory, — de- 
lightful properties,  if  they  could  be  realized  by  such  sim- 
ple means  ! 

Take  an  ounce  and  a  half  of  red  roses ;  a  small  quan- 
tity each  of  calamus  aromaticus  (sweet-scented  flag) 
and  of  the  long  cyperus;  an  ounce  of  benzoin;  six 
drachms  of  aloes  (the  wood  of;)  half  an  ounce  of  red 
coral,  and  the  same  quantity  of  amber;  four  ounces  of 
bean  flower,  and  eight  ounces  of  the  root  of  Florentine 
isis.  Let  the  whole  be  mixed  together,  and  reduced 
to  a  very  fine  powder, — to  which  add  a  few  grains  of 
musk. 

Obs. — This  powder  we  presume  is  intended  to  be 
sprinkled  on  the  hair  in  the  same  manner  as  hair  pow- 
der is  generally  used,  and  having  remained  for  a  time 
embedded  with  the  hair,  to  be  removed  by  means  of 
comb  and  brush ;  and  to  be  occasionally  applied  and  re- 
moved. It  is  said  to  regenerate  the  hair,  and  strengthen 
the  roots,  and  to  possess  the  properties  which  are  above 
enumerated. 


BEAUTY,    AND    FASHION.  41 

To  make  the  Hair  Grow,  and  Prevent  it  front  Falling. 

The  following  recipes  are  selected  from  a  work  pub- 
lished some  years  ago  in  Paris  ,  entitled,  *  Manuel  Cos- 
metique  des  Plantes.' 

1. 

Take  the  roots  of  young  vines,  the  roots  of  hemp,  and 
young  cabbages,  of  each  two  handsful — dry,  and  then 
burn  them — make  afterwards  a  lye  with  the  ashes :  be- 
fore the  head  is  washed  with  this  lye,  it  must  be  rubbed 
with  honey ;  and  continue  both  for  three  successive 
days. 

Obs. — This  will  not  only  make  the  hair  grow,  but  re- 
store it  upon  bald  places,  under  certain  habits  and  con- 
stitutions of  body, 

2. 

Pulverise  some  parsley  seed,  and  use  it  as  hair-powder 
for  three  nights  at  the  commencement  of  the  year,  and 
it  will  prevent  your  hair  from  falling. 


To  make  the  Hair  groxo  quick. — Dip  every  morning 
the  teeth  of  yo»r  comb  in  the  juice  of  nettles,  and  comb 
the  hair  against  the  grain.  Others  after  having  shaved 
their  heads,  make  fomentations  with  wormwood,  sage, 
betony,  vervain,  marjoram,  myrrh,  roses,  dill,  moss  of 
th9  oak  and  rosemary. 


42  THE   TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 


Take  half  a  pound  of  southernwood,  fresh  gathered^ 
and  coarsely  pounded  :  boil  a  pint  and  a  half  of  old  oil, 
and  half  a  pint  of  red  wine — take  it  off  the  fire,  and  let 
the  juice  of  the  southernwood  be  well  expressed  through 
a  cloth  into  it :  repeat  this  operation  three  times  with  a 
fresh  quantity  of  the  above  herb — at  the  end  of  each 
operation  add  to  the  strained  juice  thus  mixed,  two  ounces 
of  bear's  grease.  It  forms  an  oleaginous  substance  to 
make  the  hair  grow  quickly. 


The  tops  of  young  hemp  steeped  twenty-four  hours  in 
water — into  which  the  comb  is  to  be  dipped  previous  to 
using  it.     This  makes  the  hair  grow. 

G. 

Take  six  draohms  of  laudanum,  two  ounces  of  bear's 
grease,  half  an  ounce  of  honey,  three  drachms  of  pow- 
dered southernwood,  a  drachm  and  a  half  of  the  ashes  of 
the  roots  of  bulrushes,  three  drachms  of  the  balsam  of 
Peru,  and  a  little  of  the  oil  of  sweet  almonds.  Make 
these  into  an  ointment  of  a  proper  consistence,  and  use 
it  on  the  hair  of  the  head  to  make  it  grow. 


BEAUry,   AND    FASHION.  43 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


DIRECTION  FOR  STAINING  THE  HAIR. 


The  ideas  entertained  relative  to  the  beauty  of  the  hair 
vary  with  different  countries.  In  ancient  times  the 
most  civilised  and  polished  nations,  as  well  as  the  most 
skilful  in  the  arts,  were  passionately  fond  of  red  hair. 
The  Gauls,  the  ancestors  of  the  modern  French,  had 
the  same  predilection,  though  that  color  is  held  in 
abhorrence  by  their  descendants.  They  like  black  hair, 
which  is  despised  in  some  regions  of  Africa,  and  light 
tresses,  which  are  detested  in  China.  A  taste  for  red 
hair,  however,  exists  still  in  vast  regions ;  the  Turks 
prefer  red-haired  women.  The  inhabitants  of  Tripoli 
have  probably  borrowed  this  taste  from  the  Turks ;  with 
the  aid  of  vermillion  they  give  their  hair  a  color  which 
nature  has  refused.  The  women  of  the  kingdom  of 
Deccan  likewise  stain   their  hair  yellow  and  red. 

Every  country,  indeed,  manifests  a  particular  taste 
for  certain  colors,  and  a  decided  aversion  to  others ; 
it  is  a  kind  of  national  prejudice,  which  sometimes 
Iriumphij  over  love  itself     A  btrange  dislike  has  inva- 


44  THE    TOILETTE    6¥    HEALTH, 

riably  been  manifested  in  this  country  for  red  hair,  but 
with  what  reason  or  justice  who  will  pretend  to  decide  : 
that  such  hair  is  decidedly  more  conspicuous  than  any 
other  color  is  true ;  but  it  is  often  seen  flowing  in  the 
most  splendid  tresses  and  ringlets  with  admirable  effect; 
and  again,  in  some  individuals,  particularly  females, 
such  hair,  from  neglect  and  want  of  tatste  in  the  proper 
arrangement  of  it,  as  well  as  from  the  absence  of  all 
corporeal  elegance  in  the  wearer,  unquestionably  pro- 
duces everything  but  a  pleasing  effect ;  hence,  red-haired 
men  are  more  conspicuous  than  those  of  the  opposite 
sex,  from  the  latter  displaying  more  taste  in  its  adapta- 
tion to  their  person, — and,  in  a  multiplicity  of  instances, 
where  the  individual  is  divested  of  those  freckles 
with  which,  for  the  most  part,  people  of  tliis  com- 
plexion are  studded,  this  color  of  the  hair  is  by  no 
means  so  unseemly.  But  those  females  whose  hair 
displays  a  color  so  prejudicially  proscribed  by  the  na- 
tional taste,  may  employ  means  to  modify  or  disguise 
it,  if  they  think   proper. 

The  Germans  held  white  hair  only  in  estimation. 
Those  to  whom  nature  has  denied  tliis  highly  valued 
advantage,  employed  all  the  means  which  art  cotdd 
supply,  to  produce  a  resemblance  to  it.  For  this  pur- 
pose, a  kind  of  soap,  composed  of  goats'  tallow  and 
the  ashes  of  beech  wood,  was  used.  This  soap,  which 
was  called  Hessian  soap,  from  its  being  made  in  the 
country  of  Hesse,  was  also  used,  as  Martial  informs  us, 
to  stain   the    German    wigs,   in   order    to  give    them  a 


BEAUTY,     AND     FASHION.  45 

flame  color,  as  that  author  expresses  it.  The  Roman 
ladies  had  the  same  predilection  for  this  color.  Ovid 
says  that  the  Peruke  makers  of  Rome  bought  up  all  the 
spoils  of  German  heads,  to  gratify  the  caprice  of  tlie 
petites  Tnaitresses,  who  were  determined  to  conceal  their 
fine  black,   under   a  light  wig. 

Among  the  Romans,  the  men  themselves  were  not 
exempted  from  the  payment  of  this  tribute  to  the  pre- 
dominant tatse  for  a  light  color.  It  was  the  desire  of 
giving  the  light  color  to  their  hair,  that  induced  them, 
as  we  have  seen,  to  powder  it  with  gold.  By  some, 
this  caprice  was  carried  to  a  still  greater  length.  Julius 
Capitolinus  informs  us  that  the  emperor  Verus,  had 
such  a  fondness  for  light  hair,  that,  in  order  to  keep  his 
own  of  that  color j  he  sprinkled  it,  from  time  to  time, 
with  distilled  gold,  that  it  might  be  of  a  more  brilliant 
yellow. 

Many  learned  men  have  treated  of  the  colors  for 
staining  the  hair  and  eye-brows.  And  while  men  of 
learning  ajid  talent  were  descanting  upon  this  topic, 
the  fathers  of  the  church  wrote  and  preached  against 
the  practice:  born .  enemies  to  the  toilette,  which  does 
not  exactly  agree  Avith  the  austere  life  which  they 
sought  to  introduce,  they  proscribed  every  cosmetic 
falsehood.  St.  Cyprian,  among  others,  lays  down  twelve 
reasons  to  prove  that  women  ought  not  to  stain  their 
hair ;  out  of  which  the  following  two  are  selected  as 
not  unworthy  of  notice  : — '  Tlie  action  of  staining  the 
hair,'   says   he   '  is   worse   than   adultery.'     The   other, 


46  THE    TOILETTK    OF    HEALTH, 

equally  singular  with  the  former,  is,  that  *  to  blacken  the 
hair  argues  a  detestation  of  that  whiteness  which  be- 
longs to  the  head  of  the  Lord.'  Let  us  now,  however, 
leave  these  far-fetched  discussions  of  the  learned,  and 
proceed  at  once  to  the  means  which  art  affords  for 
changing  the  color  of  the  hair.  Nor  can  such  a  subject 
be  better  adverted  to  than  by  recommending  in  the 
first  instance,  the  necessary  caution  against  the  use  of 
many  dangerous  preparations  sold  by  the  perfumers. 
The  first  to  which  we  shall  therefore  allude,  is  the  solu- 
tion of  silver,  known  under  different  names,  such  as 
Chinese  wash,  Egyptian  liquid,  6ui.  Instances  have 
been  seen  where,  after  the  use  of  this  solution,  people 
have  been  reduced  to  a  state  of  frenzy.  They  should 
equally  guard  against  compositions  into  which  hen- 
bane, the  morel,  milk-thistle,  and  other  venomous 
plants  enter ;  as  also  those  in  which  aquafortis  or 
arsenic  are  introduced  as  ingredients. 

1. — Composition  for  staining  the  Hair  Black. 

Take  of  bruised  gall  nuts  one  pound,  boil  them  in 
olive  oil  till  they  become  sofl ;  then  dry  them,  and  re- 
duce them  to  a  fine  powder,  which  is  to  be  incorporated 
with  equal  parts  of  charcoal  of  the  willow,  and  common 
salt  prepared  and  pulverised.  Add  a  small  quantity  of 
lemon  and  orange  peel,  dried  and  reduced  to  powder. 
Boil  the  whole  in  twelve  pounds  of  water  till  the  sedi- 
ment at  the  bottom  of  the  vessel  assumes  the  consistence 
of  a  black  salve. 


BEAUTV,    AND     FASHION.  47 

Obs. — Tlie  hair  is  directed  to  be  anointed  with  tliis 
preparation ;  covering  it  with  a  cap  till  dry,  and  then 
to  comb  it.  It  is  represented  as  an  excellent  composi- 
tion for  staining  the  hair  black  ;  it  should  be  used  once 
a  week,  which  will  prevent  it  from  afterwards  turning 
red.  It  should  be  observed,  that  as  fast  as  the  hair 
grows,  it  appears  in  its  original  color  at  the  part 
nearest  the  skin ;  in  whatever  way  therefore  the  hair  is 
stained,  it  is  necessary  from  time  to  time  to  repeat  the 
operation. 

2. — A  Tincture  for  the  same. 

Boil  an  ounce  of  lead  ore,  and  the  same  quantity  of 
ebony  chips,  for  an  hour,  in  a  quart  of  clean  water. 
Wash  the  hair  with  this  tincture,  and  dip  your  comb 
into  it  before  you  use  it. 

Obs. — The  composition  turns  the  hair  black ;  but  the 
color  is  rendered  more  lively,  brilliant,  and  beautiful, 
by  the  addition  of  two  drachms  of  camphor. 

3. — Another. 

Boil  the  following  for  half  an  hour  on  a  slow  fire, 
namely,  equal  parts  of  vinegar,  lemon  juice,  and  pow- 
dered litharge.  With  this  decoction  wet  tlie  hair,  and 
in    a  short  time  it  will    turn  black. 

4. — Jlnoihcr. 

Let  the  head  bo  previously  washed,  then  dip  the  comb 
vou   intend   to  use   in  oil  of  tartar,   and  romb  vour  hair 


48  THE    TOILETTE     OF    HEALTH, 

in  the  sun.  Repeat  the  same  three  times  a  day  for  a 
week,  and  in  a  week  the  hair  to  which  it  is  thus  applied 
will  turn  black.  To  give  it  an  agreeable  scent  it  may 
be  impregnated  with  oil  of  benzoin. 

5. — Another. 

Dissolve  steel  filings  in  good  vinegar  :  with  this  vine- 
gar, which  will  then  resemble  tliick  oil,  wash  your  hair 
as  often  as  you  think  fit,  and  it  will  make  it  black  in  a 
very   short  time. 

G. — Another. 

Wash  the  head  with  the  lye  made  of  the  ashes  of 
plants  in  which  a  small  quantity  of  alum  has  been  dis- 
solved. This  wash  prepares  the  hair  to  receive  the 
tint  you  propose  to  give  it.  Then  comb  it  with  a 
leaden  comb  dipped  in  any  substance  known  to  impart 
a  black  color,  such  as  oil  of  cedar  mixed  with  liquid 
pitch,  or  myrtle  oil  beaten  up  for  a  considerable  time 
in  a  leaden  mortar. 

To   stain   Hair   a  light    Chestnut    Color. 

The  hair  is  to  be  previously  cleaned  with  dry  bran, 
or  warm  water,  in  which  alum  has  been  dissolved. 
Then  take  two  ounces  of  quick  lime,  which  kill  in  the 
air ;  one  ounce  of  litharge  of  gold,  and  half  an  ounce  of 
lead  ore.  Reduce  the  whole  to  powder,  and  sift  it. 
Wet  a  small  quantity  of  this  powder  with  rose  water ; 
rub  the  hair  with  it,  and  let  it  dry  again  in  the  air,  or 


BEAUTY,     AND     FASHION.  4fT 

dry  it  with  cloths  a  httle  warm.  Tliis  powder  docs  not 
Btain  the  skin,  like  the  wash  made  of  aquafortis  and 
assaying    silver. 

Obs. — It  has  been  asserted  that  the  hair  may  be 
stained  black  by  impregnating  it  with  lard,  mixed  with 
minium  and  lime :  but  this  composition,  we  apprehend, 
would  produce  only  the  chestnut  color  of  which  we 
are  here  speaking.  The  hair  may  likewise  be  turned 
black  by  different  vegetable  substances  boiled  in  wine, 
witli  which  the  head  is  to  be  washed  several  times  a 
day  ;  but  this  operation  ought  to  be  continued  for  some 
time.  The  substances  usually  preferred  for  this  pur- 
pose are,  leaves  of  the  mulberry,  myrtle,  fig,  senna, 
raspberry,  arbutus,  artichoke ;  the  roots  of  the  caper 
tree ;  the  bark  of  the  walnut  and  pomegranate ;  the 
rind  of  walnuts,  shumac,  skins  of  beans,  gall  nuts,  and 
cones  of  cypress.  It  is  also  necessary  to  use  a  leaden 
comb.  The  same  object  may  be  attained  by  using  a 
comb  dipped  in  extract  of  lead. 

At  Alleppo,  in  Turkey,  some  of  the  old  men  dye 
their  beards,  and  the  old  women  their  hair  with  henna, 
which  gives  them  a  very  whimsical  appearance,  and 
many  of  the  men  dye  their  beards  black  to  conceal 
their  age.  Few  of  the  women  paint  except  among  the 
Jews,  and  such  as  are  of  the  lowest  and  most  debased 
orders  but  they  generally  black  their  eyebrows,  or 
rather  make  artificial  ones,  with  a  certain  composition 
which  they  call  Hattat.  The  ])ractice  of  late  years, 
however,  has  considerably  declined. 


50  THE     TOILETTE     OF     HEALTH, 

The  hair,  beard,  or  whiskers,  may  be  turned  black 
by  the   following   composition  : — 

Take  the  oil  of  costus  and  myrtle,  of  each  an  ounce  ; 
mix  them  in  a  leaden  mortar ;  add  liquid  pitch,  ex- 
pressed juice  of  walnut  leaves,  and  laudanum,  of  each 
half  an  ounce  ;  gall  nuts,  black  lead,  and  frankincense, 
of  each  a  drachm ;  and  a  sufficient  quantity  of  mucilage 
of  gum  arable,  infused  in  a  decoction  of  nut-galls. 
The  head,  whiskers,  and  beard,  after  being  shaved,  are 
to  be  rubbed  three  times  a-day. 

Obs. — The  simple  means  of  producing,  in  a  certain 
degree,  the  same  effects,  are  the  following  :  namely,  the 
leaves  of  the  wild  vine,  which  not  only  turn  the  hair 
black,  but  prevent  it  from  falling  ;  burnt  cork,  roots  of 
the  holm  oak  and  caper  tree  ;  barks  of  willow,  walnut- 
tree,  and  pomegranate  ;  leaves  of  artichokes,  the  mul- 
berry tree,  fig  tree,  raspberry  bush ;  shells  of  beans  ; 
gall  and  cypress  nuts  ;  leaves  of  myrtle ;  green  shells  of 
walnuts  ;  ivy  berries  ;  cockle  and  red-beet  seeds  ;  poppy 
flowers,  alum,  and  most  preparations  of  lead.  These 
ingredients  may  be  boiled  in  rain  water,  wine,  or  vine- 
gar, with  the  addition  of  some  cephalic  plants,  as  sage, 
marjoram,  balm,  betony,  clove,  July-flower,  laurel, 
i&C.    &c. 


BEAUTV,    AHV     FASHION.  51 


CHAPTER  IX. 


0\  THE  REMOVAL.  OF  SUPERFLUOUS    HAIR. 

Hair  is  said  to  be  superfluous  when  it  becomes  too 
thick,  or  when  it  grows  on  parts  not  essential  to  its 
appearance,  as  on  the  backs  of  the  hands,  fingers,  cheek 
bones,  the  upper  hp  and  chins  of  females,  and  other 
parts  of  the  exposed  surface  of  the  skin,  contrary  to  the 
desire  or  taste  of  the  individual.  Hair  which  is  too 
thick,  or  descends  too  low  upon  the  forehead,  or  grows 
irregularly,  is  a  great  obstacle  of  beauty,  either  by 
deranging  the  symmetry  of  the  face,  or  concealing  such 
parts  as  ought  to  be  more  freely  exposed.  Eye-brows 
too  large,  too  thick,  or  too  close  to  each  other,  also 
disturb  the  harmony  which  ought  to  pervade  a  hand- 
some face.  In  these  and  other  cases,  recourse  is  had  to 
depilatories  ;  that  is,  substances  or  compositions,  which 
possess  the  property  of  renewing  hair, — and  the  opera- 
tion thus  effected  is  called  depilation, — a  very  ancient 
practice,  and  formerly  not  confined  to  the  embellisli- 
ment   of  the  person. 

The  Greek  and  Roman  women  liad  recourse  to  depi- 
latories,  to  a   very   considerable  extent.     The  heat  of 


52  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH. 

the  climate  probably  caused  them  to  adopt  this  prac- 
tice, or  perhaps  they  consulted  only  the  pleasure  of  the 
eye.  Be  this  as  it  may,  so  far  it  is  certain,  that  all  the 
antique  statues,  and  the  testimony  of  contemporary 
writers,  prove  the  existence  of  the  custom,  whatever 
might  have  been  the  motive  for  it.  Neither  was  this 
free  use  of  depilatories  practised  only  by  the  women. 
Perseus,  addressing  a  young  debauchee,  asks  why  he 
takes  such  care  of  his  beard,  while  he  bestows  so  much 
pains  on  removing  the  hair  from  every  part  of  the  body. 
There  were  likev^rise  men  who  plucked  up  their  beard  by 
the  root.  But  this  was  a  much  rarer  practice  than  the 
former,  and  must  have  appeared  extremely  strange  in 
an  age  when  men  universally  were  remarkable  for  the 
length  of  their  beard.  Accordingly  the  philosophers 
vehemently  declared  against  this  mode,  which  was  in- 
troduced by  some  effeminate  individuals,  or  rather 
which  these  voluptuaries  attempted  to  introduce. 

The  ancient  practice  of  depilation,  as  it  existed  among 
the  Greek  and  Roman  women,  is  still  prevalent  among 
those  of  Turkey,  who  observe  it  in  common  with  the 
men. 

The  depilatories  in  general  use  are  various,  possessing 
different  degrees  of  strength. — The  mildest  are  parsley 
water,  accacia  juice,  and  the  gum  of  ivy.  It  is  asserted 
that  nut  oil,  with  which  many  people  rub  the  heads  of 
children,  prevents  the  hair  from  growing.  The  juice  of 
the  milk-tliistle  mixed  with  oil  is  recommended  by  Dr. 
Turner  to  remove  the  hair  which  grows  too  low  upon 


BEAUTV,    AND    FASHIO.V,  H'.i 

the  forehead.  It  is  also  said,  that  the  gum  of  the  cherry 
tree  prevents  the  hair  from  growing. 

The  Jewish  women,  who  esteem,  and  with  justness,  a 
high  forehead  free  from  hair  as  a  beauty,  take  consider- 
able pains  to  procure  this  advantage  for  their  daugh- 
ters. For  this  purpose  they  bind  their  foreheads  with 
V.oollen  cloth  bandages, preferring  scarlet  to  any  other 
color.  The  same  effect  is  produced,  according  to  a 
French  writer  (M.  de  St.  Ursin),  by  applying  leaves  or 
rags  dipped  in  the  second  water  of  lime,  or  brine,  or 
Water  slightly  lixivia!  (containing  the  ashes  of  wood,  or 
an  alkali)  or  the  decoction  of  grey  pease. 

The  following  method,  if  carefully  adopted,  may  be 
employed  with  success  : — Apply  gently,  by  means  of  a 
hair  pencil,  a  few  drops  of  muriatic  acid  a  little  reduced 
at  first ;  and  if  this  does  not  succeed,  let  the  concen- 
trated form  be  used  by  delicately  touching  the  tops  of 
the  hair  to  be  removed,  avoiding,  as  much  as  possible, 
the  skin  ;  or  probably  the  best  way  to  apply  this  acid  is 
to  rub  the  skin  and  hair  over  at  the  same  time,  and  im- 
mediately afterwards  to  rub  the  part  with  linen  cloth. 

Depilatory  of  Ants'  Eggs. 

A  stronger  depilatory  is  composed  as  follows  : — 

Take  Gum  of  ivy,  one  ounce, 
Ants'  eggs     \ 

Gum  arable  >  of  each  one  drachm. 
Orpiment       ) 
Reduce  theae  to  a  fine  powder,  and  make  it   up   into 


54  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH. 

a  liniment,  with  a  sufficient  quantity  of  vinegar.  In 
pounding  the  materials,  great  precaution  must  be  taken 
that  the  dust  of  the  orpiment,  which  is  a  preparation 
of  arsenic,  be  not  inhaled. 

Obs. — The  former  acid,  or  acid  of  ants,  may  be  more 
easily  procured  at  the  chemist's,  and  will  answer  the 
purpose  better  than  the  ants'  eggs,  which  are  not  to  be 
had  at  all  seasons. 

Depilatory  of  Rusma^  and  (Quicklime. 

Take  rusma  and  quicklime,  and  reduce  them  to  a 
fine  powder  ;  and  dissolve  them  for  some  time  in  water, 
where  they  will  form  a  soft  paste,  which  is  to  be  appUed 
to  hair  on  the  body  intended  to  be  removed.  In  a  few 
minutes,  rub  the  part  to  which  it  has  been  applied,  with 
a  wet  cloth,  and  the  hair  will  be  removed  to  the  very 
roots,  whilst  the  part  itself  will  sustain  no  inconvenience. 

Orpiment  and  Quicklime. 

The  strongest  depilatory  is  composed  of  the  above 
substances.  Considerable  caution  is  necessary  in  the 
use  of  this  composition.  It  is  not  without  danger;  and 
if  suffered  to  remain  on  the  skin  too  long,  it  is  liable  to 
leave  marks.  It  may  be  made  stronger  or  weaker  in 
proportion  to  the  quantity  of  orpiment  used.  These 
proportions  are  estimated  as  follows : — To  eight  ounces 
of  quicklime,  one  ounce  of  orpiment  of  the  first  degree 
of  strength  ; — to  twelve  ounces  of  quicklime,  two  ounces 

""  A  species  of  vitrio) 


BKAITY,    AND    FASHION.  ;JU 

of  orpiment,  of  the  second  degree  ; — to  fiflee  n  ounces 
of  lime,  three  ounces  of  orpiment  will  present  a  very 
violent  depilatory,  which  will  produce  speedy  effects. 

Obs. — These  different  degrees  of  strength  must  be 
adapted  to  the  age  and  the  constitution  of  the  skin  to 
which  it  is  applied.  After  having  reduced  these  two 
substances  to  a  fine  powder,  mix  them  thoroughly  togeth- 
ti-,  and  sifl  them,  taking  every  precaution  not  to  inhale 
the  particles  which  rise  from  them.  This  powder  must 
be  kept  in  a  stopper  bottle. 

The  following  are  the  directions  for  its  use  : — 

Mix  with  it  a  seventh  or  eighth  part  of  barley-meal  or 
starch,  to  diminish  its  too  great  strength.  Pour  upon 
the  whole  a  sufficient  quantity  of  v.-arm  water  to  form  a 
paste,  and  in  this  condition  apply  it  to  the  places  from 
whence  the  hair  is  to  be  removed.  Let  it  lie  on  the 
part  a  few  minutes,  taking  care  to  moisten  it  a  little 
that  it  may  not  too  quickly  dry  }  and  now  and  then  try 
if  the  hair  comes  away  easily  and  without  resistance  ; 
as  soon  as  it  does,  wipe  it  off  with  warm  water.  The 
hair  is  removed  with  the  paste,  and  the  operation  is 
finished. 

Obs. — The  paste  must  not  be  sufiered  to  remain 
longer  than  necessary  on  the  part,  otherwise  the  skin  is 
liable  to  be  injured,  burned,  and  cauterized. 

Roseate  Powder. 

This  is  tiie  name  given  to  a  depilatory,  composed  of 

lime   twelve  ounces,  orpiment  ten  ounces  ;  bv  far  too 
6- 


56 


THE    TOILETTE    OK    HEALTH. 


strong,  unless  reduced  by  other  ingredients  in  the  above 
proportion. 

Another  Depilatory. 

Take  Quick-Hme      -     -     -     -     1  ounce 

Orpiment 3  drachms 

Orice 2  drachms 

Saltpetre 1  drachm 

Sulphur 1  ounce 

Soap  lees half  a  pint, 

Evaporate  to  a  proper  consistence,  and  use  as  above 

directed. 

Obs. — This  is  safer  than  the  two  preceding,  though 

with  care  and  caution  they  may  all  be  made  subservient 

to  the  purpose. 

Oil  of  Walnuts. 

This  is  said  to  be  an  excellent  depilatory,  but  is  diffi- 
cult to  be  procured. 

To  remove  Hair  from  the  Xostrils. 

Take  some  very  fine  and  clean  wood  ashes ;  dilute 
them  with  a  little  water,  and  with  the  finger  rub  some 
of  the  mixture  within  the  nostrils.  The  hair  will  be 
removed  without  causing  the  least  pain. 

Obs. — The  hairs  of  the  nostrils,  like  those  of  the  en- 
trance of  the  ear,  ought  not  to  be  removed,  unless  trou- 
blesome or  unseemly  ;  they  are  the  principal  safeguards 
against  the  intru.sion  of  insects,  which  might  otherwise 


BEALTV,    AND    FASHION.  57 

insinuate  themselves  into  these  delicate  passages,  to  the 
great  annoyance  and  danger  of  the  individual  thus 
invaded. 

Another  Depilatory. 

The  following  directions  are  laid  down  by  a  French 
author  (Manuel  Cosmctique  dcs  Plants)  to  remove 
superfluous  hair  either  from  the  forehead,  or  too  long 
on  the  back  of  the  hands,  round  the  wrists  and  arms, 
and  in  the  nostrils  and  other  parts. 

Take  polypody  of  the  oak,  and  cut  and  split  it  into 
small  pieces.  Put  it  into  a  cucurbite,  pour  some  white 
wine  upon  it  until  it  be  covered  the  length  of  a  finger, 
and  let  it  digest  in  balneum  maria:  for  twenty -four 
hours ;  then  distil  it  with  boiling  water,  until  nothing 
more  comes  over  into  the  receiver. 

The  method  of  using  this  fluid  is  by  dipping  a  linen 
rag  in  it,  and  then  applying  the  same  on  the  back  of 
the  hand,  or  otlier  parts,  and  letting  it  remain  there  all 
night :  repeating  the  operation  mitil  the  hair  falls. 

The  distilled  water  of  the  leaves  and  roots  of  cheli- 
dony,  applied  as  above,  has  the  same  property.  And 
the  oil  of  nuts  rubbed  often  on  the  head  of  cliildren 
prevents  tlie  hair  from  growing. 


58  THE    TOILETTE    OK    HEALTH, 


CHAPTER   X. 


COSMETICS. 


Under  the  term  cosmetics,  are  comprehended  all  the 
expedients  invented  to  preserve  the  beauty  and  lustre 
of  the  complexion,  or  to  compensate  for  the  absence  of 
them:  such,  for  instance,  are  all  the  processes  used  to 
embellish  the  skin,  to  soften  it,  to  maintain  its  fresh- 
ness, to  give  color  to  the  complexion,  to  prevent  or 
efface  wrinkles,  to  whiten  or  clean  the  teeth,  to  stain 
the  hair  and  the  eye-brows  ;  all  these  form  a  part  of 
the  numerous  class  of  cosmetics. 

Some  writers  have  attempted  to  demonstrate  the  in- 
efficacy  of  cosmetics,  as  well  as  their  dangerous  ten- 
dency ;  others  have  thought  fit  to  proscribe  them  all ; 
a  severe  sentence  has  therefore  been  pronounced  upon 
them.  Unquestionably,  many  of  these  compositions  are 
not  only  useless  but  dangerous  ;  but  we  should  not  re- 
nounce the  aid  of  all,  because  such  effects  are  produced 
by  some.  Let  us  then  choose  the  best,  and  reject  such 
as  have  a  concealed  and  pernicious  tendency.  It  has 
been  observed  by  the  advocates  for  cosmetics,  that  the 
human  skin  resembles  a  spider's  web  in  texture,  conse- 


BEAUTY,    AND    FASHION,  59 

quently  is  susceptible  of  tlie  slightest  impressions ;  to 
moisten,  to  nourish,  to  polish  it  with  cosmetic  poma- 
tums, mucilage,  detergent  and  bitter  ointments,  is  per- 
fectly suited  to  its  nature.  Another  observes,  that 
beauty  cannot  exist  without  the  concurrence  of  the 
means  which  ensure  the  preservation  of  the  health. 
At  the  same  time  it  requires  particular  care  ;  it  must 
be  improved,  and  I  might  even  say,  cultivated  ;  for  this 
brilliant  production  of  civilization  and  luxury  does  not 
appear  in  all  its  attributes  and  all  its  charms  in  the  wild 
state,  or  under  the  influence  of  laborious  professions  or 
chilling  penury. 

Many,  indeed,  are  the  authorities  that  might  here 
be  adduced  in  favor  of  simple  cosmetics,  for  one  good 
one  against  them.  There  are  frequent  opportunities 
of  observing  the  astonishing  difference  which  exists 
between  females  who  bestow  constant  and  judicious 
care  on  the  preservation  of  their  beauty,  and  those 
who  neglect  to  cultivate  their  charms.  If  a  fortunate 
change  of  circumstances  should  enable  a  young  female 
of  limited  means,  who  previously  had  scarcely  attracted 
any  observation,  to  attend  to  the  minute  details  of  the 
toilette,  in  a  short  time  a  new  beauty  may  be  seen  to 
expand  in  her.  How  many  rural  females,  with  charms 
somewhat  rustic,  and  figures  rather  coarse,  have,  by 
means  of  a  short  residence  in  town,  and  the  use  of  the 
toilette,  presented  us  with  a  brilliant  spectacle  of  the 
most  pleasing  and  no  less  astonishing  metamorphosis. 
The  change  holds  good  in  both  sexes.     Manners  are  also 


60  THE   TOILETTE    OF  HKALTH, 

polished  by  example  and  society ;  and  refinement  both 
mental  and  corporeal  is  the  result.  And  it  is  to  cos- 
metics that  these  corporeal  prodigies  are  to  be  attri- 
buted. 

Cosmetics  appear  under  different  forms.  Some  are 
liquid,  others  mucilaginous,  and  others  liav^e  vinegar 
for  their  menstruum.  All  cosmetics  ought  to  be  rejected 
with  the  component  parts  of  which  people  are  not  ac- 
quainted. They  infallibly  contain  mercury  or  some 
other  destructive  or  injurious  mineral.  There  are  also 
cosmetics  in  the  form  of  pastes  and  ointments.  Many 
of  these  produce  at  first  astonishing  effects,  but  ulti- 
mately ruin  the  skin.  Females  should  therefore  abstain 
generally  from  all  the  cosmetics  that  are  held  out  to  them 
by  empirics. 

Mucilaginous  cosmetics  possess  the  property  of  ren- 
dering the  skin  more  supple,  softer  and  more  polished. 
They  are  in  general  the  best  adapted  to  the  purpose  for 
which  they  are  designed,  and  are  not  attended  with 
any  inconvenience.  The  same  cannot  be  asserted  of 
vinegars ;  certain  astringent  vinegars  used  at  the  toilette 
are  often  found  pernicious.  They  evidently  improve 
for  a  while  the  appearance  of  the  skin,  add  brilliancy 
to  its  color,  and  sometimes  even  remove  spots ;  but 
they  alter  the  texture  of  the  epidermis,  dry  it,  and  pro- 
duce premature  wrinkles.  Hence  they  cannot  be  used 
too  cautiously.  Pastes  are  not  attended  with  the  same 
inconveniences.  They  contribute  very  efficaciously  to 
preserve    the    suppleness    and   elasticity   of   the   skin. 


BEAUTY,    AND    FASHIOIf.  01 

Ointments  produce  a  still  more  certain  effect,  in  conse- 
quence of  remaining  longer  in  contact  with  the  skin. 
They  may  be  retained  there  all  night ;  in  which  case 
they  preserve  the  parts  that  are  covered  with  them  from 
the  influence  of  the  air,  check  the  nature  of  insensible 
perspiration,  and  produce,  in  a  far  superior  degree  to 
oily  cosmetics,  so  called,  all  the  effects  expected  from 
the  latter. 

But  in  order  that  ointments  and  liniments  may  pos- 
sess the  properties  requisite  for  producing  none  but 
good  effects,  "  they  ought,"  in  the  language  of  an  able 
and  experienced  physician,*  '•  to  contain  nothing  irri- 
tating, and  the  fatty  substances  which  form  their  basis, 
should  be  in  a  state  of  great  purity  and  extreme  divi- 
sion. Very  fresh  cream,"  he  adds,  "is  often  prefer- 
able to  all  these  preparations,  which,  on  account  of  the 
wax  they  contain,  and  their  super-oxygenation,  are  not 
fit  to  be  used  by  females  whose  skin  is  too  dry  and  too 
irritable.  Steatite  is  recommended  by  the  same  author, 
to  give  whiteness  and  lustre  to  the  skin  ;  and  even  in 
some  cases  to  protect  it  from  contagious  diseases.  The 
steatite  is  reduced  to  a  very  fine  powder,  in  which  state 
it  forms  an  excellent  cosmetic. 

As  regards  the  different  cosmetics  advertised  and  sold 
by  perfumers,  and  of  which  the  compounders  make  a 
secret,  we  shall  say  nothing  more.  They  may  possess 
some   simple   and   safe  detergent   properties,  but  until 

*M.  De  Senac. 


62  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH. 

their  composition  be  known,  no  opinion  can  be  given 
of  their  utility — consequently,  under  the  veil  of  this 
mystery,  they  must  come  under  the  donomination  of 
at  least  a  doubtful  gender.  There  is  no  question  that 
many,  if  not  all  those  washes  which  are  sold  at  such 
extravagantly  high  and  exorbitant  prices,  are  merely 
new  combinations  of  old  processes  :  a  new  name  being 
frequently  sufficient  to  bring  back  an  old  fashion,  under 
however  a  somewhat  modified  appearance. 

There  are  many  cosmetics  in  high  repute,  such,  for 
instance,  as  the 

GENUINE  BALM  OF  MECCA. 

This  is  a  liquid  resin,  of  a  wliitish  color,  approach- 
ing to  yellow,  with  a  strong  smell,  resembling  that  of  a 
lemon ;  a  pungent  and  aromatic  taste.  It  is  likewise 
called  balm  of  Judea,  white  balm  of  Constantinople, 
balm  of  Egypt,  balm  of  Grand  Cairo,  and  Opobalsamum. 
It  is  one  of  the  most  highly  esteemed  cosmetics,  though 
very  dear,  and  in  its  genuine  form  extremely  difficult 
to  be  procured.  That  sold  in  London  and  Paris  is 
made  by  the  perfumers  of  those  cities:  "It  is,"  says 
M.  Mongez,*  "  a  mixture  of  the  finest  turpentine  with 
aromatic  oils,  whose  aroma  approaches  nearest  to  that 
of  the  genuine  balm.  These  imitations  sell  at  the  rate 
of  twenty-four  to  thirty   shillings  per  ounce,    whereas 

^  See  Memoirs  of  the  National  Institute. 


BtAUTY,    AND    FAS1I10^.  f)3 

the  same  quantity  of  the  real  balm  of  Mecca  cannot  be 
procured  for  less  than  four  guineas." 

The  balm  of  Mecca,  as  alreeidy  observed,  in  its  gen- 
uine state,  is  held  in  the  highest  repute  by  the  ladies 
of  the  East,  by  whom  it  is  used  to  render  the  skin  soft, 
white  and  smooth.  They  anoint  tlieir  heads  and  face 
with  it  at  night  going  to  bed ;  the  following  morning 
minute  scales  are  detached  from  the  skin  from  every 
part  in  which  this  precious  balm  has  operated.  This 
renovation  of  the  skin  renders  it  incomparably  white 
and  delicate. 

The  Egyptian  females  use  it  in  a  different  manner. 
The  dark  color  of  their  complexion,  it  is  true,  requires 
a  stronger  dose.  It  is  at  the  bath  that  they  anoint 
themselves  with  this  balm.  They  remain  in  the  bath 
till  they  are  very  warm;  they  then  anoint  their  face 
and  neck,  not  slightly,  like  the  women  of  the  East,  but 
witii  an  ample  and  copious  ablution,  rubbing  them- 
selves till  the  skin  has  absorbed  the  whole.  They  tlien 
remain  in  the  bath  till  the  skin  is  perfectly  dry ;  after 
which  they  remain  three  days  with  the  face  and  neck 
impregnated  with  tlie  balm  ;  on  the  third  day  they 
again  repair  to  the  bath,  and  go  through  the  same  pro- 
cess. This  operation  is  repeated  "several  times,  for  the 
space  of  a  month,  during  which  time  they  abstain  from 
wiping  the  skin. 

The  European  ladies  who  liave  an  opportunity  of 
procuring  the  genuine  balm  arc  more  frugal  of  it.  They 
seldom  use  it  pure,  but  mix  it  with  other  similar  sub- 


64  THE    TOILETTK    OF    HEALTH, 

stances,  and  compose  a  cosmetic  balm  which  is  thought 
to  possess  considerable  efficacy  in  preserving  the  beauty 
of  the  skin.  A  good  composition  of  this  kind  is  the 
following : — 

Take  equal  parts  of  balm  of  Mecca  and  oil  of  sweet 
almonds,  recently  extracted.  Mix  these  drugs  care- 
fully in  a  glass  mortar  till  they  form  a  kind  of  oint- 
ment ;  to  three  drachms  of  which,  previously  put  into 
a  matrass,  pour  six  ounces  of  spirits  of  wine.  Let 
it  distil  till  a  sufficient  tincture  be  extracted;  when 
this  is  done,  let  it  be  separated  from  the  oil,  and  put 
one  ounce  of  it  into  eight  ounces  of  the  flower  of  bean- 
water,  or  other  water  of  a  similar  kind,  and  an  excellent 
milky  cosmetic  will  soon  be  formed. 

Obs. — Others  make  a  kind  of  virgin-milk.  For  this 
purpose  it  is  sufficient  to  dissolve  the  balm  of  Mecca  in 
spirits  of  wine  or  Hungary  water ;  then  put  a  few  drops 
of  this  solution  into  Hungary  water. 

Notwithstanding  the  great  reputation  of  the  balm  of 
Mecca,  it  has  been  deemed  by  some  as  dangerous  and 
injurious.  Lady  Mary  Wortley  Montague  describes 
it  as  having  agreed  very  ill  with  her.  In  one  of  her 
letters  from  Belgrade,  near  Constantinople,  to  a  female 
friend  in  London,  she  writes  as  follows :  '•  As  to  the 
balm  of  Mecca,  I  will  certainly  send  you  some ;  but  it 
is  not  so  easily  got  as  you  suppose  it,  and  I  cannot  in 
conscience  advise  you  to  make  use  of  it.  I  know  not 
how  it  comes  to  have  such  universal  applause.  All 
the  ladies  of  my  acquaintance  at  London  and   Vienna 


BEAUTY,    AND     FASHION.  iio 

have  begged  me  to  send  pots  of  it  to  theia.  1  have 
had  a  present  of  a  small  quantity  (which  I  assure  you 
is  very  valuable)  of  the  best  sort,  and  with  great  joy 
applied  it  to  my  face,  expecting  some  wonderful  effect 
to  my  advantage.  The  next  morning,  the  change 
indeed  was  wonderful ;  my  face  was  swelled  to  a  very 
extraordfaiary   size,   and    all   over   as    red   as   my    lady 

H 's.     It  remained  in  this  tormentable   state  three 

days,  during  which  you  may  be  sure  I  passed  my  time 
very  ill.     I  believed  it  never  would  be  otherwise  ;   and 

to  add  to  my  misfortune,  Mr.   W y  reproached  my 

adventure  without  ceasing.  However,  my  face  is  since 
in  statu  qiio  ;  nay,  I  am  told  by  the  ladies  here  that  it 
is  much  mended  by  the  operation,  which  I  confess  I 
cannot  perceive  in  my  looking-glass.  Indeed,  if  one 
was  to  form  an  opinion  of  this  balm  from  their  faces, 
one  should  think  very  well  of  it.  They  all  make  use 
of  it,  and  have  the  loveliest  bloom  in  the  world.  For 
my  part  I  never  intend  to  endure  the  pain  of  it  again  ; 
let  my  comjjlexion  take  its  natural  course,  and  decay 
in  its  own  due  time." 

Obs. — It  canno.t  be  denied,  notwithstanding  the  in- 
convenience suffered  by  her  ladj'ship,  which  might  be 
attributable  to  a  variety  of  causes,  that  the  balnx  of 
Mecca  is  used  with  advantage  by  the  most  beautiful 
women,  and  that  the  Turkish  ladies,  who  all  make  use 
of  it,  have,  as  her  ladyshij)  justly  remarks,  the  loveliest 
bloom  in  the  world. 

The    following   method    hat.  been    pomted    nut   by   a 


66  THE     TOILETTE     OF     HEALTH, 

person  who  resided  at  Constantinople,  to  detect  the 
spurious  from  the  genuine  balsam  of  Mecca. — Pour  a 
drop  into  water  of  the  genuine  balm ;  and  put  into 
this  drop  an  iron  knitting  needle.  If  the  whole  of 
the  drop  of  balm  adhere  to  the  needle,  it  proves  that 
it  has  not  been  adulterated. 

VIRGIN-MILK. 

This  appellation  has  frequently  been  given  to  liquids 
widely  differing  in  their  nature.  The  virgin-milk  in 
most  general  use,  and  at  the  same  time  most  salutary, 
is  tincture  of  benzoin  and  rose-water ;  which  is  prepared 
by  simply  adding  a  few  drops  of  the  former  to  an  ounce 
or  two  of  the  latter,  which  produces  a  milky  mixture. 
If  the  face  be  washed  with  this,  it  will  give  it  a  beau- 
tiful ivory  color.  To  render  the  skin  clear  and 
brilliant,  let  it  remain  upon   it  without  wiping. 

The  tincture  of  benzoin,  vulgarly  called  Benjamin, 
is  likewise  recommended  for  the  removal  of  spots, 
freckles,  pimples,  erysipelatous  eruptions,  &c.,  but  its 
efficacy  seems  rather  doubtful.  In  another  place  we 
shall  lay  down  directions  for  more  efficacious  remedies. 

The  following  kinds  of  -tdrgin-milk  are  more  active 
in  their  effects  : — 

1.  Take  equal  parts  of  benzoin  and  storax,  dissolve 
them  in  sufficient  quantit}'  of  spirits  of  wine,  which 
will  assume  a  redish  color,  and  emit  a  fragrant 
odor.  Some  add  to  it  a  small  quantity  of  balm  of 
Mecca.     A  few   drops   of   this   poured   into    very  fine 


BEAUry,    AND    FASHIU.V.  67 

common  water  gives  it  a  milky  appearance.  The  ladies 
use  it  at  the  toilette  with  success  for  washing  their 
faces. 

2.  Pound  some  house-leek  in  a  marble  mortar,  ex- 
press the  juice  and  clarify  it.  When  you  want  to  make 
use  of  it,  put  a  small  quantity  into  a  glass,  and  pour 
upon  it  a  small  quantity  of  spirit  of  wine  ;  the  mixture 
instantly  forms  a  kind  of  curdled  milk,  exceedingly 
efficacious  for  rendering  the  skin  smooth  and  removing 
pimples. 

3.  Tdike  an  ounce  of  roche-alum,  and  an  ounce  of 
sulphur  reduced  to  a  very  fine  powder,  put  the  whole 
into  a  quart  bottle,  and  add  to  it  a  pint  of  rose-water. 
Shake  these  substances  for  half-an-hour,  which  will 
give  the  water  the  appearance  of  milk.  Shake  the 
bottle  every  time  before  it  is  used.  Steep  a  cloth  in  this 
liquid,  and  leave  it  all  night  upon  the  face,  which  must 
afterwards  be  washed  with  rose  and  plaintain  water. 

Obs. — The  appellation  of  virgin-milk  is  likewise 
applied  to  a  very  different  liquid — the  vinegar  of  lead 
precipitated  with  water.  This  is  cried  up  as  a  remedy 
for  eruptive  disorders  of  the  skin ;  but  it  is  repellent,  and 
of  course  often  attended  with  danger.  It  ought,  there- 
fore, not  to  be  employed  without  the  necessary  precau- 
tion ;  but  as  a  cosmetic  it  should  never  be  used,  since 
it  dries  and  blackens  the  skin.  It  is,  nevertheless,  a 
fact,  that  most  of  the  liquids  sold  by  perfumers  under 
the  name  of  virgin-milk,  are  nothing  but  an  extract  of 
lead   dissolved  in  vinegar.     Ladies,  therefore,  to  avoid 


68  THE    TOILETTE    01'    HEALTH, 

the  risk  they  encounter  from  similar  preparations  would 
study  both  their  health,  appearance,  and  personal  con- 
venience much  better  if  they  were  to  compose  this 
article  themselves,  rather  than  apply  to  either  druggists 
or  perfumers,  who  make  at  least  fifteen  or  twenty  dif- 
ferent sorts. 

COSMETIC  OILS. 

1.  The  oil  of  cacao  is  the  best  and  most  natural  of 
all  pomades.  It  is  well  adapted  to  dry  skins,  which  it 
renders  soft  and  smooth,  without  the  appearance  of 
being  greasy.  It  is  much  used  by  the  Spanish  ladies 
of  Mexico.  In  France  and  England  it  cannot  be  used 
pure,  because  it  grows  too  hard.  It  becomes  neces- 
sary to  blend  it  with  some  other  oil — as  oil  of  ben,  or 
oil  of  sweet  almonds  cold  drawn. 

2.  Oil  of  ben  is  extracted  by  expression  from  nuts  of 
the  same  name.  Oil  of  ben  possesses  the  property  of 
never  becoming  rancid ;  it  has  neither  taste  nor  smell ; 
and  in  consequence  of  this  latter  quality,  the  perfumers 
use  it  with  advantage  to  take  the  scent  off  flowers,  and 
to  make  very  agreeable  essences.  The  ladies  use  this 
oil  to  soften  the  skin.  When  mixed  with  vinegar  and 
nitre,  it  is  also  employed  for  curing  pimples  and  itching. 
The  oil  of  ben,  moreover,  is  used  with  success  as  a 
lenitive  for  burns,  acrid  eruptions,  chapped  lips,  and 
sore  breasts. 


BEAUTY,    AND    FASHION.  69 

A  Compound  Cosmetic  Oil. 

Take  Oil  of  sweet  almonds  -  -  -  -  4  ounces 
Oil  of  tartar  per  deliquium  -  -  2  ounces 
Oil  of  rhodium       4  drops, 

Mix  the  whole  together,  and  use  it  to  cleanse  and  soften 

the  skin. 

Another. 

Take  a  pint  of  cream,  infuse  it  in  a  few  water  lilies, 
bean  flowers,  and  roses.  Simmer  the  whole  together 
in  a  vapor  bath,  and  keep  the  oil  that  proceeds  from 
it  in  a  phial,  which  is  to  be  left  for  some  time  exposed 
to  the  evening  dew. 

Oil  of  Wheat. 

This  oil  is  extracted  by  an  iron  press,  in  the  same 
manner  as  oil  of  almonds.  It  is  excellent  for  chaps, 
either  of  lips  or  hands,  tettery  eruptions,  and  rigidity 
of  the  skin. 

0^7  of  Tuberoses  and  Jasmine. 

The  essence  of  these  and  other  fragrant  flowers 
communicated  to  olive  oil,  oil  of  sweet  almonds,  or 
oil  of  ben.  The  oils  of  tuberoses,  or  jasmine  flowers 
are  of  use  for  the  toilette  on  account  of  their  fragrancy. 
There  are  ca.scs  in  which  they  may  be  successfully 
used  by  way  of  friction,  to  comfort  and  strengthen  the 
nerves,  and  brace  up  the  skin  when  too  much  relaxed — 


70  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 

though  we  apprehend   beyond  their  fragrance,  they  pos- 
sess httle  advantage  over  the  oils  above  named. 

Oil,  or  Water  of  Talc. 

High  encomiums  were  bestowed  by  the  ancients  on  a 
water  or  oil  of  talc,  which  they  averred  possessed  the 
property  of  blanching  the  complexion,  and  ensuring  to 
women  the  freshness  of  youth  till  the  most  advanced 
age.  The  manner  in  which  they  composed  this  pre- 
cious cosmetic  has  not  reached  us.  A  French  author, 
however,  has  given  the  way  of  composing  a  liquid  that 
may  serve  as  a  substitute  for  it ;  and  a  German  chemist 
some  years  ago  published  a  method  of  supplying  this 
secret  possessed  by  the  cosmetics  of  antiquity.  '  All,' 
says  he,  '  who  have  directed  their  attention  to  cos- 
metics, have  regretted  the  loss  of  the  secret  of  making 
water  of  talc,  and  have  looked  upon  it  as  a  discovery  of 
the  utmost  importance  to  the  Graces.'  '  The  following 
composition,  perhaps,  approaches  nearest  to  that  highly 
vaunted  cosmetic,'  says  the  author  of  Abdeker,  which 
is  laid  down  by  him  as  follows  : — 

Water  of  Talc. 

'  Take  any  quantity  of  talc,  divide  it  into  lanunae 
and  calcine  it  with  yellow  sulphur.  Then  pound  it, 
and  wash  it  in  a  great  quantity  of  hot  water.  When 
you  are  sure  that  you  have  extracted  all  the  salts  by 
this  washing,  gently  pour  off  the  water,  and  leave  the 
pulp   at  the  bottom  of  the  vessel   to  dry.     When  dry, 


BEAUTY,    AND    FASHION.  /I 

calcine  it  in  a  furnace  for  two  hours  with  a  strong 
heat.  Take  a  pound  of  this  calcined  talc  and  reduce 
it  to  powder,  with  two  ounces  of  sal  ammoniac.  Put 
the  whole  into  a  glass  bottle,  and  set  it  in  a  damp  place. 
All  the  talc  will  spontaneously  dissolve,  and  then  you 
have  nothing  more  to  do  than  to  pour  off  the  liquor 
gently,  tzdcing  care  not  to  disturb  it.  This  liquor  is 
as  clear  and  as  bright  as  a  pearl,  and  it  is  impossible 
to  present  the  sex  with  a  cosmetic  whose  effects  are 
more  astonishing. 

Oil  of  Talc. 

M.  Justi,  a  German  chemist,  who  also  endeavored 
to  recover  a  secret  of  such  importance  to  the  fair  sex, 
lays  down  the  following  process  : 

Take  two  parts  of  Venetian  talc,  and  two  parts  of 
calcined  borax. 

Afler  M.  Justi  had  perfectly  pulverized  and  reduced 
these  substances,  he  put  them  into  a  crucible,  which  he 
covered  with  a  lid,  and  placed  in  a  furnace.  He  ex- 
posed it  for  an  hour  to  a  very  violent  heat,  and  at  the 
end  of  that  time  he  found  the  mixture  transformed  into 
glass,  of  a  greenish  yellow  color.  This  glass  he  re- 
duced to  powder,  then  mixed  it  with  two  parts  of  salt 
of  tartar,  and  again  melted  the  whole  in  a  crucible. 
By  this  second  fusion  he  obtained  a  mass,  which  he 
placed  in  a  cellar,  upon  an  inclined  piece  of  glass,  with 
a  vessel  underneath  it.  In  a  short  time  the  whole 
was  converted  into  a  liquid  in  which  the  talc  perfectly 
dissolved 


72  THE   TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 

The  authors  of  the  Encyclopsedie  Fran9aise,  say,  '  it 
is  obvious  that  by  this  process  you  obtain  a  Hquid  of  the 
same  nature  as  that  called  oil  of  tartar,  per  deliquium, 
which  is  nothing  but  fixed  alkali  dissolved  by  humidity. 
It  is  very  doubtful  whether  the  talc  contributes  at  all  to 
the  properties  of  this  hquid  :  but  it  is  certain  that  fixed 
alkali  possesses  the  property  of  making  the  skin  per- 
fectly white  and  clear,  and  of  taking  away  any  spots 
which  it  may  have  contracted.  For  the  rest,  it  seems 
that  this  liquid  may  be  applied  without  any  danger  to 
the  skin.' 

Oil  of  Tartar. 

Take  white-wine  tartar  1  1-^  lb. 

Saltpetre     -    -    -  2    oz. 

Calcined  tin  -    -  1    1-^  oz. 

Roche  alum    -    -  1    oz. 

Pound  these  together ;  put  them  into  an  earthen  plate, 
and  expose  them  to  a  reverberating  fire  till  they  are 
calcined.  Then  put  an  ounce  of  this  substance,  cal- 
cined quite  white,  into  a  pint  of  brandy. 

Obs. — Though  this  composition  has  been  recom- 
mended as  a  useful  appendage  to  the  toilette,  and  as 
one  of  the  best  cosmetics  that  can  be  used  for  giving  a 
clear  complexion,  it  is  necessary  to  be  careful  not  to 
use  it  to  excess.  We  have  already  given  a  caution 
regarding  the  application  of  compositions  to  the  skin  in 
which  metallic  calces  are  ingredients. 


BEAUTY,    AND     FASHION.  73 

COSMETIC  WASHES. 

Denmark  Lotion. 

Take  equal  parts  of  bean-flower,  and  water  of  the  four 
cold  seeds — namely,  of  pompion,  melon,  cucumber,  and 
gourd,  and  of  fresh  cream ;  beat  the  whole  up  together, 
adding  a  sufficient  quantity  of  milk  to  make  a  wash, 
which  apply  to  the  face. 

Obs. — This  recipe  is  taken  from  the  'Ami  des  Fem- 
mes.'  Another  writer  says,  that  the  cosmetic  lotion  used 
by  the  ladies  of  Denmark  is  totally  different — it  is  what 
is  called  Eau  dc  Pigeon  (pigeon  water.)  It  is  composed 
as  follows : 

'  Take  iuice  of  water-lilies,  of  melons,  of  cucumbers,  of 
lemons,  each  one  ounce;  briony,  wild  succory,  lily- 
flowers,  borage,  beans,  of  each  a  handful :  eight  pigeons 
stewed.  Put  the  whole  mixture  into  an  alembic,  adding 
four  ounces  of  lump  sugar,  well  pounded,  one  drachm 
of  borax,  the  same  quantity  of  camphor,  the  crumb  of 
three  French  rolls,  and  a  pint  of  white  wine.  When  the 
whole  has  remained  in  digestion  for  seventeen  or  eigh- 
teen days,  proceed  to  distillation,  and  you  will  obtain 
pigeon- water,  which  is  such  an  improvement  of  the 
complexion. 

Obs. — It  is  by  washing  themselves  with  this  water, 
we  are  told,  that  the  Danish  ladies,  who  have  naturally 
a  fine  complexion,  preserve  all  the  freshness  of  early 
youth  till  the  age  of  fifty.  The  three  French  rolls  and 
the  pint  of  wine  miglit  do  alone,  after  this  period,  for 


74  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 

the  purpose  of  invigorating  the  stomaxih  and  digestive 
organs. 

Wash  a  la  Marie  Antoinette. 

Take  half  a  dozen  lemons  and  cut  them  in  small  slices, 
a  small  handful  of  the  leaves  of  white  lilies,  and  south- 
ernwood, and  infuse  them  in  two  quarts  of  cow's  milk, 
with  an  ounce  and  a  half  of  white  sugar,  and  an  ounce 
of  rock-alum.  These  are  directed  to  be  distilled  in  bal- 
neum marisB.  The  face,  at  bed-times,  is  to  be  rubbed 
with  this  Avater ;  and  it  is  said  that  it  gives  a  beautiful 
lustre  to  the  complexion.  It  is  a  safe  application,  and 
its  effects  are  certain. 

A  Wash  to  give  the  Face  a  Younger  look. 

Take  Sulphur 1^  oz. 

G.  oliban  and  myrrh   -  2   oz. 

Amber 6   drachms 

Rose  water     -     -     -     -  1^  pint 

Distil  the  whole  in  balneum  mariae,  wash  yourself 
with  some  at  bed-time,  and  in  the  morning  with  barley 
water ;  and,  with  the  blessing  of  God,  it  will  not  fail  to 
give  you  a  younger  look. 

Another. 

Infuse  wheat  bran  for  three  or  four  hours  in  vinegar, 
add  to  it  a  few  yolks  of  eggs  and  a  grain  or  two  of  am- 
bergris, and  distil  the  whole.  It  is  advisable  to  keep  it 
for  eight  or  ten  days  in  the  sun. 


BEAUT V,    AM)    FASHION.  75 


Jywthcr. 


,  Take  equal  parts  of  water  of  wild  tansy,  and  water  of 
house-leek,  and  for  every  half  pound  add  two  drachms  of 
sal  ammoniac. 

Vine  Water, 

Preserve  the  drops  which  ooze  from  the  !vine  in  the 
months  of  May  and  June,  and  wash  your  face  with 
them.     This  is  a  ready-made  cosmetic. 

Rose  Water. 

Though  rose  water  does  not  possess  many  virtues  as 
a  cosmetic,  the  ladies  use  a  good  deal  of  it,  in  conse- 
quence of  its  agreeable  smell,  and  perhaps,  also,  on  ac- 
count of  its  name,  consecrated  to  the  Loves  and  the 
Graces. 

Obs. — Rose  water  may  be  obtained  in  a  very  short 
time,  and  in  the  easiest  manner,  by  the  following  means. 
It  is  sufficient  to  put  roses  into  water,  and  to  add  two  or 
three  drops  of  sulphuric  acid.  The  water  assumes  the 
color,  and  becomes  impregnated  witli  the  aroma  of  the 
flowers. 

Pimpernel  Water. 

The  properties  of  this  water,  for  wliitening  the  com- 
plexion, are  highly  praised.  The  author  of  the  Art  of 
Perfumery  says,  *  it  ought  to  be  continually  on  the  toi- 
lette of  every  lady  ' 


76  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 

Strawberry    Water. 

A  name  given  to  a  liquid  distilled  from  strawberries. 
When  wood  or  wild  strawberries  are  used  for  this  pur- 
pose, the  water  has  an  exquisite  smell;  and  ladies  have 
recourse  to  it  at  their  toilette  to  remove  freckles  and 
spots  on  the  face.  Hoffman,  however,  prefers  the  dis- 
tilled water  of  the  whole  plant,  which  he  regards  as 
more  efficacious  and  detergent. 

Barley  Water. 

An  excellent  cosmetic,  though  it  can  only  be  made  in 
one  particular  season.  The  barley  is  to  be  gathered 
when  the  yet  unformed  grain  resembles  a  milky  sub- 
stance. These  are  to  be  pounded  in  a  mortar  with  ass's 
milk,  and  the  whole  distilled  in  a  sand  bath.  The  liquid 
is  used  as  a  cosmetic  wash.  It  gives  extraordinary 
clearness  to  the  skin  and  is  productive  of  no  incon- 
venience. 

Water  in  which  rice  has  been  boiled  is  also  used  as  a 
detergent  to  the  skin ;  and  oatmeal  is  frequently  used 
for  the  same  purpose  in  the  absence,  or  oftener  in  con- 
sequence of  its  action  on  the  pores  of  the  skin,  in  lieu  of 
soap. 

Ob 3. — Ladies  of  dark  complexion,  or  sunburnt, 
should  frequently  bathe  themselves,  and  wash  their 
faces  with  a  few  drops  of  spirits  of  wine,  sometimes  with 
virgin-milk,  and  the  distilled  waters  of  pimpernel,  white 


BEAUTV,    AND    FASHION.  77 

tansy,  bean  flowers,  &c.  These  detersive  penetrating 
applications  remove,  by  degrees,  the  kind  of  tan  or  var- 
nish that  covers  the  skin,  thus  rendering  more  free  the 
perspiration,  which  is  the  only  real  cosmetic. 

COSMETIC  POMADES. 

Pomades  or  pomatums,  are  unctuous  substances,  in 
wliich  are  blended  either  medicaments  or  perfumes. 
Salves  and  ointments  are  of  the  former  kinds ;  washballs, 
pastes,  &c.  of  the  latter. 

A  Pomade  Jor  the  Complexion. 

Take  white  wax  and  spermaceti,  of  each  a  drachm ; 
oil  of  sweet  almonds,  two  ounces ;  spring  water,  an 
ounce  and  a  half.  Mix  the  wax  and  spermaceti  togeth- 
er in  the  oil  of  almonds,  in  a  glazed  earthen  pipkin, 
over  hot  ashes,  or  in  a  vapor  bath  ;  pour  the  solution  in- 
to a  marble  mortar,  and  stir  it  about  with  a  wooden  pes- 
tle till  it  becomes  cold,  and  seems  quite  smooth;  then 
mix  the  water  gradually,  and  keep  stirring  till  the  whole 
be  incorporated. 

Obs. — This  pomatum  becomes  extremely  w^hite  and 
light  by  the  agitation,  and  very  much  resembles  cream, 
from  its  similitude  to  which  it  has  obtained  the  name  of 
cold  cream.  It  is  an  excellent  cosmetic,  and  renders 
the  skin  supple  and  smooth.  Some  add  a  little  balm  of 
Gilead  to  heighten  its  virtue  ;  and  it  i.s  sometimes  scent- 
ed by  adding  rose  or  orange  flower  water  in  the  prepa- 
ration, instead  of  spring  water;  or  witli  a  few  drops  of 


VO  THE   TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 

any  essence  as  fancy  may  direct.  It  is  also  very  good 
to  remove  marks  in  the  face  from  small-pox — in  which 
case  a  little  powdered  saffron,  or  some  other  dessuative, 
as  flours  of  zinc  or  French  chalk,  is  usually  added. 
It  is  to  be  kept  for  use  in  a  large  gallipot  tied  over  with 
a  bladder. 

A  Poviatum  to  remove  Redness,  or  Pimples  in  the  Face. 

Steep  in  clear  water  a  pound  of  boar's  cheek  till  it 
becomes  tolerably  white  ;  drain  it  quite  dry,  and  put  it 
into  a  new  glazed  earthen  pan  with  two  or  three  hard 
pippins,  quartered ;  an  ounce  and  a  half  of  the  four  cold 
seeds,  bruised,  and  a  slice  of  veal  about  the  size  of  the 
palm  of  your  hand.  Boil  the  whole  together  in  a  vapor 
bath  for  four  hours,  then  with  a  strong  cloth  squeeze  out 
your  pomatum  into  an  earthen  dish,  placed  upon  hot 
ashes ;  add  to  it  an  ounce  of  white  bees'  wax  and  an 
ounce  of  the  oil  of  sweet  almonds,  stir  it  with  a  wooden 
spatula  till  it  becomes  cold. 

For   Wrinkles. 

Take  pieces  of  white  lily  roots  and  fine  honey,  of  each 
two  ounces  ;  melted  white  wax,  an  ounce ;  incorporate 
the  whole  together,  and  make  a  pomatum.  It  should  be 
applied  every  night,  and  not  wiped  off  till  the  next 
morning. 

Another. 

Take  half  an  ounce  of  salad  oil,  an  ounce  of  the  oil 
of  tartar }    half  an   ounce   of  the    mucilage   of  quince 


BEAUTY,     AND      FASHION.  79 

seeds :  three  quarters  of  an  ounce  of  ceruss ;  thirty 
grains  of  borax,  and  the  same  quantity  of  sal  gem.  Stir 
the  whole  together  for  some  time,  in  a  little  earthen 
dish,  with  a  wooden  spatula,  and  apply  it  in  the  same 
manner  as  in  the  preceding  composition. 

For  a  Red  or   Pimpled  Face. 

Take  two  pared  apples,  celery  and  fennel,  of  each  a 
handful ;  and  barley  meal  a  quarter  of  an  ounce. 
Simmer  the  whole  together  a  quarter  of  an  hour  in  a 
gill  of  rose  water ;  then  add  an  ounce  of  fine  barley 
meal,  the  whites  of  four  new  laid  eggs,  and  an  ounce  of 
deer's  suet.  Strain  them  through  a  canvass  bag  into  a 
dish  that  contains  a  little  rose  water,  and  afterwards 
beat  it  in  a  mortar  perfectly  smooth. 

This  pomatum  is  to  be  applied  frequently  througli 
the  day,  to  remove  the  redness  of  the  face,  pimples,  and 
even  freckles ;  but  to  answer  the  last-mentioned  pur- 
pose, it  must  be  continued  till  they  are  entirely  effaced. 
To  prevent  their  return,  the  person  must  shun  the 
intense  heat  of  the  sun,  and  hot  dry  winds  for  some 
time. 

OBSERVATIONS   ON   COSMETICS. 

Instances  are  not  v.'anting,  of  young  persons  attempt- 
ing to  bleach  their  skins,  and  beautify  their  jxTsons,  by 
avoiding  the  open  air,  using  a  mild  and  weakening  diet, 
or  even  ab.stinence  from   food,  xlet-ping  too   long,  warm- 


80  THE    TOILETTE     OF     HEALTH, 

ing  their  beds,  and  other  such-like  contrivances.  But 
alas  !  the  event  does  not  answer  their  expectations — 
they  lose  both  health  and  bloom.  Eating  chalk, 
drinking  vinegar,  wearing  camphorated  charms,  and 
similar  destructive  means  have  been  resorted  to,  by 
other  more  daring  adventurers,  but  with  no  better 
success.  Those  last  enumerated,  have  been  termed 
'  minor  cosmetics  : '  others  of  a  more  formidable  na- 
ture, we  almost  hesitate  to  mention,  as  they  are  un- 
questionably the  most  deleterious  substances  with 
which  we  are  acquainted.  Mercury  and  lead  manufac- 
tured in  various  forms,  are,  unhappily,  ingredients  too 
common  in  many  of  our  modern  cosmetics,  whether 
they  consist  of  lotions,  creams,  powders,  paints,  or  oint- 
ments. 

That  these  deleterious  substances  can  be  communi- 
cated to  the  circulating  fluids,  through  the  skin  as  well 
as  by  the  stomach,  requires,  we  should  suppose,  no 
further  proof  after  the  doctrine  of  cutaneous  absorption 
is  understood,  than  which  nothing  is  more  simple. 
Lead,  if  once  introduced  into  the  system,  though  in  the 
smallest  proportions,  cannot  be  removed  by  oil,  and 
never  fails  to  produce  the  most  deplorable  effects — such 
as  palsy,  contraction  and  convulsion  of  the  limbs,  total 
lameness,  weakness,  and  the  most  excruciating  colics. 
Besides  these  more  obvious  effects,  the  frequent  external 
use  of  lead  and  mercury  in  cosmetics,  occasions  cramps 
in  every  part  of  the  body,  faintings,  nervous  weakness, 
catarrhs,  tubercles   in   the   lunirs  and  intestines,  which 


BEAUTY,    AND    FASHION.  81 

occur  either  separately  or  together,  taccording  to  tlie 
diiFerent  circumstances,  till  at  length  a  consumption, 
either  pulmonary   or  hectic,  closes  the  dreadful  scene. 

'  The  secret  venom,  circling  in  her  veins, 
Works  through  her  skin,  and  bursts  in  bloating  stains : 
Her  clieeks  their  freshness  lose,  and  wonted  grace, 
And  an  unusual  paleness  spreads  her  face.' 

Granville. 

Beauty  of  complexion,  the  subject  at  present  under 
consideration,  is  but  another  term  for  a  sound  and 
healthy  skin  ;  a  pure  mirror  of  the  harmony  of  the 
internal  parts  with  their  surface,  or,  if  we  may  be 
allowed  the  expression,  Ht  is  visible  health.' 

There  subsists  so  intimate  a  relation  between  our 
interior  and  exterior  vessels,  that  almost  every  error  or 
irregularity  in  the  organ  within,  shows  itself  first  on 
the  surface  of  the  body,  particularly  on  the  face.  How 
often  are  we  struck  with  the  countenance  of  a  person, 
who  tliinks  himself  in  perfect  health,  but  whose  illness, 
the  result  of  some  morbid  cause  concealed  in  the  body, 
justifies  in  a  few  days  the  serious  apprehensions  enter- 
tained at   our  last  interview. 

Nature  has  wisely  ordained,  that  tlie  first  appearance 
of  internal  irregularities  should  be  indicated  by  the 
countenance  ;  but  to  what  use  do  we  generally  apply 
this  index  ^  We  refuse  to  avail  ourselves  of  the  benefi- 
cent intimation ;  and  the  continued  use  of  pernicious 
substances,  instead  of  promoting  the  object  we  have  in 


ba  THE    TOILETTE     OF    HEALTH, 

view,  ultimately  tarnishes  and  impairs  that  beauty 
which  we  meant  to  adorn  and  preserve.  We  imagine 
it  in  our  power  to  improve  the  skin,  without  attending 
to  the  purity  of  the  fluids,  though  it  is  indebted  to 
them  for  its  very  existence ;  and  yet  we  should  smile 
at  a  person  who  attempted  to  cleanse  an  impure  tongue 
by  constantly  scraping  it,  when  a  disordered  stomach 
was  the  real  cause  of  that  impurity. 

From  what  has  already  been  remarked  we  rely  for  in- 
dulgence, when  we  venture  to  pronounce  every  cos- 
metic, the  composition  of  which  is  kept  a  secret  from 
the  public,  to  be  false  and  fraudulent,  and  that  mercury, 
or  lead,  are  their  leading  ingredients. 

To  such  of  our  readers,  male  or  female,  who  are  de- 
termined to  make  use  of  cosmetics,  instead  of  attending 
to  the  more  effectual  means  of  preserving  the  bloom  of 
the  skin,  it  may  be  of  service  to  add  one  or  two  more 
external  applications,  in  order  to  prevent  them  from 
using  the  dangerous  and  destructive  preparations  of 
quacks  and  nostrum-mongers. 

According  to  the  late  Dr.  Withering,  an  infusion  of 
horse-radish  in  milk,  makes  one  of  the  safest  and  best 
cosmetics. 

Another  preparation  for  cleansing  the  skin  of  pimples, 
and  recent  eruptions,  if  assisted  by  gentle  aperient 
medicines,  is  the  first  juice  of  house-leek,  mixed  with 
an   equal   quantity  of  sweet  milk  or  cream. 

All  contrivances,  however,  to  answer  this  purpose, 
are   absurd   and  nugatory,   if   the   inward  state  of  the 


BEAUTY,     AND     FASHION.  83 

body  be  neglected,  or  if  they  be  looked  upon  as  specifics 
themselves.  Such  things  do  not  exist  in  nature  ;  and 
as  well  might  one  try  to  bleach  a  blackamoor,  as  to 
remove  any  scorbutic  or  other  eruptions  from  the  face, 
without  bestowing  proper  attention  to  the  whole  state 
of  the  body,  and  particularly  the  fluids,  w'hence  these 
irregularities  derive  their  origin. 

The  three  great  and  really  effectual  substitutes  in 
cosmetics  which  we  would  recommend,  are  the  fol- 
lowing : — 

First.  Proper  attention  to  the  insensible  perspiration 
— an  important  process  by  which  nature,  if  duly  assisted, 
will  not  fail  to  expel  all  acrimonious  and  useless  parti- 
cles. By  this,  too,  the  surface  of  the  body  will  be  kept 
in  a  constant  atmosphere  of  softening  exhalations — a 
species  of  volatile  vapor-bath,  which  is  the  most  effica- 
cious means  of  preserving  it  soft  and  pliant,  and  of 
animating  it  with  the  color  of  life. 

Secondly.  The  purity  of  the  fluids  : — This  depends 
equally  on  a  free  perspiration  and  a  vigorous  state  of 
diffestion.* 


*  The  most  effectual  means  of  restoring  the  tone  of  the 
digestive  organs,  and  recruiting  the  muscular  fibre  and  the 
nervous  energy  in  general,  is  the  '  Imperial  Marine  Tinct- 
ure '  and  'pills.'  Prepared  by  Dr.  Stevenson,  and  sold  by 
the  principal  patent  medicine  venders  in  Europe.  The 
instructions  which  accompany  these  medicines,  render  them 
a  convenient  resource  to  ftimilies  both  by  sea  and  h;:d. 
— Medical    Review. 


84  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 

Thirdly.  The  third  requisite  to  a  fair  and  beautiful 
complexion,  is  an  uniform  distribution  of  the  fluids,  or 
in  other  words,  a  free  and  unrestrained  circulation  of 
the  Hood; — as  the  very  purest  fluids,  when  profusely 
propelled  to  the  face,  are  productive  of  disagreeable 
consequences,  such  as  unnatural  redness,  flushings, 
tumid  appearances,  &c.,  of  which  ladies,  who  lead  a 
sedentary  life,  are  so  apt  to  complain. 


CHAPTER   XI. 

L\JUNCTIONS    RELATIVE    TO    THE    REFINEMENT    OF 
THE  SKIN. 

To  the  preceding  general  observations,  it  may  be 
useful  to  subjoin  a  few  particular  injunctions,  relative 
to  the  purification  of  the  skin,  as  connected  with  a  state 
of  good  health. 

1.  Abstain  from  the  too  frequent  and  too  copious 
use  of  heating  liquors  of  every  kind,  particularly  punch 
and  strong  wines.  There  is  scarcely  anything  more 
destructive  to  the  bloom  of  youth  and  manhood  than 
these  liquids,  which  fill  the  blood  with  inflammable 
particles,  propel  it  towards  the  face,  parch  the  skin, 
render  it  spotted,  and  lay  the  foundation  of  that  in- 
curable disease,  which  is  sometimes  figuratively  called, 
copper  in  the  face.  Neither  sugar,  nor  any  additional 
ingredient  to  gratify  the  palate,  can  deprive  these 
liquors  of  their  noxious   qualities,   insomuch  that  even 


KEAUTV,    AND    FASniON.  85 

the    most   agreeable   and   seductive   liquid   is   attended 
with  considerable   danger. 

2.  Avoid  likewise  the  excessive  use  of  hot  drinks, 
such  as  coffee,  chocolate,  and  tea,  particularly  the  last, 
in  which  the  inhabitants  of  this  country  indulge  more 
than  in  any  other  beverage.  The  too  liberal  use  of 
this  liquid  is  not  a  little  prejudicial  to  the  purity  and 
fairness  of  the  skin.  Tea  taken  immoderately  and  hot, 
not  only  has  a  tendency  to  weaken  the  organs  of  diges- 
tion, but  causes  fluctuations  and  congestions  in  the 
humors  of  the  face,  and  frequently  brings  on  a  degree 
of  debilitating  perspiration. 

3.  The  various  compositions  prepared  by  the  pastry 
cook  and  confectioner,  are  scarcely  of  less  importance 
than  the  former.  These  dainties  would  be  less  objec- 
tionable, if  any  method  could  be  devised  to  bake  them 
without  the  pernicious  ingredients  of  yeast  and  fat 
substances  which  load  the  stomach  with  glutinous  slime 
and  rancid  matter,  which  obstruct  the  glands  of  the 
abdomen,  particularly  those  of  the  mesentery,  and  have 
a  strong  tendency  to  produce  the  cutaneous  eruptions 
already  mentioned. 

Pomatum  for  the  Skin. 

Take   oil  of  white   poppy  seed,  and  of  the   fine  cold 

seeds,   each   a    gill ;    spermaceti    three   quarters   of   an 

ounce ;    w'hite    wax,   an   ounce  ;    mix    them,   scaindum 

artem,  into  a  pomatum. 

Obs. — A    great   quantity    of  a   substance   resemblino- 
9 


00  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 

butter  is  extracted  from  the  cocoa-tree,  which  is  ex- 
cellent to  mollify  and  nourish  the  skin,  and  has  long 
been  used  for  this  purpose  amongst  the  Spanish  creo- 
lean  women.  The  warm  bath,  or  warm  loc«al  ablution 
is  always  to  be  observed,  after  the  use  of  unctuous 
substances. 

LIP-SALVES. 

Take  oil  of  almonds,  3  ounces  ;  spermaceti,  1  ounce  ; 
virgin  rice,  5  ounce.  Melt  these  together  over  a  slow 
fire,  mixing  with  them  a  little  of  the  powder  of  alkanet 
root.  Keep  stirring  till  cold,  and  then  add  a  few  drops 
of  the   oil  of  rhodium. 

Obs. — Fresh  butter  may  be  used  instead  of  the  oil 
of  sweet  almonds.  The  alkanet  root  will  color  it  red. 
Yellow  bees-wax  added,  will  give  it  a  yellow  color. 

Another. 

Take  prepared  tutty  and  oil  of  eggs,  of  each  equal 
parts ;  mix,  and  apply  them  to  the  lips,  after  v/ashing 
the  latter  with  barley  or  plaintain  water. 

A   Yellow  Lip-Salve. 

Take  yellow  bees-wax,  two  ounces  and  a  half;  oil 
of  sweet  almonds,  a  quarter  of  a  pint ;  melt  the  wax 
in  the  oil,  and  let  the  mixture  stand  till  it  become  cold, 
when  it  acquires  a  pretty  stiff  consistence.  Scrape  it 
into  a  marble  mortar,  and  rub  it  with  a  wooden  pestle, 
to  render  it  perfectly  smooth.  Keep  it  for  use  in  a 
gallipot  closely  covered. 


BEAUTY,    AND     FASHION.  87 

Obs. — This  is  emollient  and  lenient;  of  course  good 
for  chaps  in  the  lips,  hands,  or  nipples  ;  and  preserves 
the  skin  soft  and  smooth. 

A  Scarlet   Lip- Salve. 

Take  an  ounce  of  the  oil  of  sweet  almonds,  cold 
drawn ;  a  drachm  of  fresh  mutton  suet ;  and  a  little 
bruised  alkanet  root ;  and  simmer  the  whole  together 
in  an  earthen  pipkin.  Instead  of  the  oil  of  sweet  al- 
monds, you  may  use  oil  of  jasmin,  or  oil  of  any  other 
flower,  if  you  intend  the  lip-salve  to  have  a  fragrant 
odor. 

Another. 

Take  a  pound  of  fresh  butter ;  a  quarter  of  a  pound 
of  bees-wax ;  four  or  five  ounces  of  cleansed  black 
grapes,  and  about  an  ounce  of  bruised  alkanet  root. 
Simmer  them  together  over  a  slow  fire  till  the  wax  is 
wholly  dissolved,  and  the  mixture  becomes  of  a  bright 
red  color  :   strain  and  put  it  by  for  use. 

Obs. — The  cosmetics  hitherto  fashionable  have  all 
been  directed  to  the  surface  without  any  reference  to 
the  interior ;  though  it  must  be  evident,  however  pow- 
erful their  effects  may  be  for  a  time,  that  they  will  at 
least  be  but  temporary  and  evanescent,  and  their  appli- 
cation must  be  renewed  almost  as  often  as  washing,  at 
the  risk,  sometimes,  too,  of  doing  great  injury,  aufl 
giving  rise  to  dangerous  disorders.  To  obviate  this 
inconvenience,  it  i.s  propo-sed,  thereffjre,  IJiat  in.stiad  ot 


88  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 

repelling  from  the  skin  inwards,  to  expel  without  the 
skin  whatever  may  tend  to  disorder  or  discolor  it. 
With  this  intention  the  following  has  been,  in  some 
cases,  tried  with  success ;  and  we  reconmiend  to  our 
fair  readers  a  trial  of  it  in  conjunction  with  their  cos- 
metic creams  and  other  preparations. 

Take  tincture  of  cardamoms,  1  drachm ;  wine  of 
ipecacuanha,  15  drops;  flour  of  sulphur,  ^  drachm. 
Add  these  to  half  a  glass  of  sherry  or  Cape  wine  (ginger 
or  elder  wine  will  do),  and  take  it  going  to  bed.  To 
be  repeated  two  or  three  times  a  week,  for  a  week  or 
two.  accordinsT  to  circumstances. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

PAIXTS  FOR  THE  FACE,  ETC. 

Paints*  must  not  be  confounded  with  cosmetics, 
which  really  inpeirt  whiteness,  freshness,  suppleness, 
and  brilliancy  to  the  skin,  when  it  is  naturally  different 


*  The  art  of  painting  the  skin  is  nearly  as  ancient  as  the 
world ;  and  it  has  been  found  among  all  the  nations  of  the 
world.  Bv  the  first  inhabitants  of  the  earth  this  invention 
was  deemed  so  wonderful,  that  they  could  not  suppose  it  to 
be  the  production  of  the  human  mind,  and  gave  it  a  celestial 
origin.  They  ascribed  it  to  superior  intelligence ;  and  the 
author  of  the  book  of  Enoch  assures  us  that,  before  the 
deluge,,  the  angel  Azaliel  taught  women  the  art  of  painting 
themselves. 


BEAITV,    AND    FASHION'.  *«'.' 

to  those  qualities ;  consequently  they  only  assist  na- 
ture, and  make  amends  for  her  defects  ;  and  it  may  he 
affirmed  they  are  to  heauty  what  medicine  is  to  health. 
Paints  are  far  from  answering  this  description.  They 
are  not  only  incapable  of  embellishing  the  skin,  but 
those  who  make  use  of  them  are  extremely  fortunate 
wiien  they  do  not  contribute  to  incre£ise  its  defects. 
They  cannot  give  the  skin  so  desired  qualities,  they  only 
imitate  it  in  a  manner  more  or  less  coarse. 

Paints,  although  they  are  incapable  of  repairing  the 
ravages  of  time,  are  nevertheless  used,  for  various  rea- 
sons. In  the  first  place,  they  are  sooner  and  more 
easily  applied ;  because  they  produce  a  higher  and 
more  brilliant  and  speedy  effect ;  and  in  the  next, 
because,  in  cases  where  cosmetics  would  be  of  no  use  > 
for  instance,  in  persons  too  plain  or  too  old,  paints 
afford  a  convenient  resource,  a  last  and  only  medium  of 
disguising  other  defects  of  the  complexion  or  the  ravages 
of  time.  But  when  a  person  is  young,  fresh  and  hand- 
some, to  paint  would  be  perfectly  ridiculous  ;  it  would 
be  wantonly  spoiling  the  fairest  gifts  of  nature. 

Red  and  white  being  the  only  paints  used  on  the  skin, 
we  shall  here  briefly  treat  of  them.  If  ever  paint  were 
to  be  prescribed,  we  should  plead  for  an  exception  in 
favor  of  rouge,  which  may  be  rendered  extremely  inno- 
cent, and  be  applied  with  such  art  as  to  give  an  expres- 
sion to  the  countenance,  which  it  would  not  have  without 
that  auxiliary.  White  paint  is  never  becoming  ;  rouge, 
on  thf  contrary.  almo;4  alvv.'ivs  liKikb  well. 


90  THE    TOILETTi:    OF    HKALTH, 


1.  OF  WHITE  PAINT. 


White  paints  are  extracted  from  minerals  more  or  less 
pernicious,  but  always  corrosive.  Mineral  paints  affect 
the  eyes,  change  the  texture  of  the  skin,  producing 
pimples.  Paint  also  causes  rheums,  attacks  the  teeth, 
makes  them  ache,  destroys  the  enamel,  and  loosens 
them.  It  heats  the  mouth  and  throat,  infecting  and 
corrupting  the  saliva.  Lastly,  it  penetrates  through  the 
pores  of  the  skin,  acting  by  degrees  on  the  cellular  sub- 
stance of  the  lungs,  and  inducing  pulmonary  complaints. 
Or,  in  other  cases  if  the  paint  be  composed  of  alumin- 
ous or  calcareous  substances,  it  stops  the  pores  of  the 
skin  which  it  tarnishes,  and  prevents  perspiration,  which, 
as  a  matter  of  course,  is  directed  to  some  other  part,  to 
the  danger  of  the  individual. 

Metallic  paints  are  extracted  from  either  lead,  tin,  or 
bismuth.  To  the  inconveniences  already  noticed,  these 
paints  add  that  of  turning  the  skin  black  when  it  is 
exposed  to  the  action  of  sulphureous  or  phosphoric  ex- 
halations. Accordingly  those  females  who  use  them 
ought  carefully  to  avoid  going  too  near  substances  in  a 
state  of  putrefaction,  the  vapors  of  sulphur  and  lime  of 
sulphur,  and  the  exhalations  of  bruised  garlic.  We  shall 
here  merely  subjoin  the  process  for  making  a  cheap  white 
paint,  which,  if  not  wholly  free  from  inconvenience,  is 
not,  however,  accompanied  with  those  dangers  which 
always  attend  the  use  of  whites  prepared  from  bismuth, 
lead,  or  tin. 


BIAUTY,     AND     FASHI05.  01 

Tu  Make  a  Wliitc  Pairitfor  the  Complexion, 

Take  a  piece  of  Brian<;on  chalk.  Choose  it  of  a  pearl 
grey  color,  and  rasp  it  gently  with  a  piece  of  dogskin. 
After  this,  sift  it  through  a  sieve  of  very  fine  silk,  and 
put  it  into  a  pint  of  good  distilled  vinegar,  and  leave 
it  there  for  fourteen  days,  shaking  the  bottle  two  or 
three  times  each  day,  with  the  exception  of  the  last,  on 
which  it  must  not  be  disturbed. 

Having  stood  the  requisite  time,  pour  off  the  vinegar, 
so  as  to  leave  the  chalk  behind  in  the  bottle,  into  which 
pour  very  clean  water  that  has  been  filtered.  Throw 
the  whole  into  a  clean  pan,  and  stir  the  water  well  with 
a  wooden  spatula.  Let  the  powder  settle  again  to  the 
bottom,  pour  the  water  gently  off,  and  wash  this  powder 
six  or  seven  times,  taking  care  always  to  make  use  of 
filtered  water.  When  the  powder  is  as  white  and  as  soft 
as  you  would  wish,  dry  it  in  a  place  where  it  is  not  expos- 
ed to  tiie  dust.  Sift  it  through  a  silken  sieve,  wiiich 
will  make  it  still  finer.  It  may  either  be  left  in  powder, 
or  wetted  and  formed  into  cakes  like  those  sold  by  the 
perfumers.  One  pint  of  vinegar  is  sufficient  to  dissolve 
a  pound  of  talc,  that  is,  of  Brianqon  chalk. 

Obs. — This  white  may  be  used  in  the  same  manner 
as  carmine,  by  dipping  the  finger,  or  a  piece  of  paper,  or 
what  is  preferable  to  either,  a  hare's  foot  prepared  for 
the  purpose,  in  ointment,  and  putting  upon  it  about  a 
grain  of  this  powder,  which  will  not  be  removed  even 
b^  perspiration      If  the  ointment  with  whicli  it  i.?  apphed 


92  Till;    TOILETTE    UF    HEALTH, 

be  properly  prepared,  this  wliite  does  no  injury  to  the 
skin  of  the  face..  The  same  ingredients  may  be  used  in 
making  rouge. 

Another  White. 
To  one  part  of  Venice  talc,  in  powder,  add  two   parts 
of  the  oil  of  camphor  ;  let  them  digest  in  a  sand-bath  till 
the  whole  becomes  very  white. 

Salve  ichich  may  he  used  as  Paint. 

Take  four  ounces  of  very  white  wax,  five  ounces  of  oil 
of  bitter  almonds,  one  ounce  of  very  pure  spermaceti, 
one  ounce  and  a  half  of  white  lead  washed  in  rose-water, 
and  half  an  ounce  of  camphor. 

Mix  the  whole  up  into  a  salve,  which  may  be  preferred 
to  all  other  whites. 

2.  OF  RED  PAINT.* 
It  would  be  well  were  those  ladies  whosa  taste  may 
lead  them  to  relieve  the  deficiency  of  their  complexion 

*  Almost  all  nations  have  had  a  predilection  in  favor  of 
the  color  red»  The  Phcenieians  owed  their  name  to  the 
red  color  of  their  ships,  and  of  the  stuffs  they  conveyed  to 
the  barbarous  nations  inhabiting  the  coasts  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean. The  ancieats  at  festivals,  painted  Jupiter  with 
vermilion.  At  Rome,  the  bodies  of  triumphant  warriors 
were  painted  with  the  same  color;  and  Camillus,  among 
the  rest,  is  mentioned  as  having  made  his  appearance  in  it 
on  the  day  of  his  triumph.  Lord  ^Macartney,  in  his  passage 
through  Pekin,  saw  several  Tartar  women  who,  he  says, 
were  excessively  painted,  especially  about  the  middle  of  the 
lower  lip  ;  and  several  tribes  of  Indians  and  Africans  evince 
considerable  partiality  for  red 


BEAUTV,    AND    FASHKjN.  <.Ki 

by  means  of  rouge,  were  they  to  compose  the  articles 
themselves.  They  would  not  then  run  the  risk  of 
using  those  dangerous  reds  in  which  deleterious  min- 
erals are  ingredients,  of  spoiling  the  skin,  and  of  ex- 
posing themselves  to  the  inconveniences  which  we  have 
alluded  to,  as  liable  to  result  from  the  use  of  metallic 
paints. 

The  more  dangerous  reds  are  those  compounded  with 
minium,  which  is  a  calx  of  lead,  or  cinnabar,  otherwise 
called  vermilion,  produced  by  sulphur  and  mercury. 
Vegetable  red  therefore  should  alone  be  used.  These 
are  attended  with  little  danger,  especially  when  used 
with  moderation. 

The  vegetable  substances  which  furnish  rouge,  are 
red  Sanders  wood,  root  of  orchanet,  cochineal,  Brazil 
wood,  and  especially  the  bastard  saffron,  which  yields 
a  very  beautiful  color,  that  is,  mixed  with  a  sufficient 
quantity  of  French  chalk  or  talc.  Some  jjcrfumers 
compose  vegetable  rouges,  for  which  they  talic  vinegar 
as  the  excipient.  These  reds  are  liable  to  injure  the 
beauty  of  the  skin.  It  is  more  advisable  to  compound 
them  witli  oleaginous  or  unctuous  substances,  and  to 
form  salves.  For  this  purpose,  balm  of  Mecca,  butter 
of  cacao,  oil  of  ben,  &.c.  may,  for  instance,  be  em- 
ployed. 

There  are  females  whose  skin  cannot  be  reconciled 
to  unctuous  bodies;  such,  therefore,  may  use  the  fol- 
lowing : — 

2.  Take  Eriaui^on  chalk,  and  reduce  it  to  a  very  fint' 


94  THE    TOILETTE    OF   HEALTH, 

powder — add  to  it  carmine  in  proportion  to  the  vividness 
of  the  red  which  you  intend  to  produce ;  and  carefully 
triturate  this  mixture,  which  may  be  applied  to  the  skin, 
without  danger ;  or 

2.  Take  French  chalk  prepared,  four  ounces;  oil  of 
almonds,  two  drachms;  carmine,  one  ounce. 

Obs. — The  makers  of  rouge,  from  motives  of  economy, 
sometimes  substitute  cinnabar  for  carmine.  It  may  be 
ascertained  if  carmine  be  genuine,  as  in  this  case  it  is 
not  altered  either  by  the  mixture  of  oxalid  acid,  or  vola- 
tile alkali.  The  rouge  of  which  we  have  just  given  the 
composition,  may  likewise  be  made  up  with  salves  ;  it 
then  produces  a  superior  effect,  being  a  better  imitation 
of  the  natural  colors. 

3.  A  liquid  rouge  to  produce  a  perfect  imitation  of 
the  colors  of  nature  may  be  made  as  follows  : — Add  to 
a  pint  of  French  brandy,  half  an  ounce  of  benzoin,  an 
ounce  of  red  sandal  wood,  half  an  ounce  of  Brazil  wood, 
and  the  same  quantity  of  rock  alum.  Cork  the  bottle 
with  care,  shake  it  well  once  a  day,  and  at  the  end  of 
twelve  days  it  will  be  fit  for  use.  The  cheeks  are  to  be 
lightly  touched  with  it. 

4.  Take  Brazil  wood  and  rock  alum  ;  pound  and  add 
them  to  a  bottle  of  red  wine,  and  boil  it  till  it  is  reduced 
to  one  fourth  part.  To  use  this,  dip  a  piece  of  cotton 
wool  into  it,  and  rub  the  cheeks. 

5.  Take  half  an  ounce  of  red  sandal  wood,  half  an 
ounce  of  cloves,  and  five  pounds  of  sweet  almonds. 
Pound  the  whole   together.     Upon  this  paste  pour  two 


^  BEAUTY,    AND    FASHION.  95 

ounces  of  white  wine,  and  an  ounce  and  a  half  of  rose- 
water.  Let  the  whole  be  sta-red  up  well  together.  In 
about  eight  or  nine  days,  strain  this  paste  in  the  same 
manner  as  is  done  to  extract  the  oil  of  sweet  almonds, 
and  a  very  good  red  oil  will  be  obtained. 

0.  Alkanet  root  strikes  a  beautiful  red  when  mixed 
with  oils  or  pomatums.  A  scarlet  or  rose-colored  rib- 
bon, wetted  with  water  or  brandy,  gives  the  checks  if 
rubbed  with  it  a  beautiful  bloom,  that  can  scarcely  be 
distinguished  from  the  natural  color.  Others  only  use 
a  red  sponge,  which  tinges  the  cheeks  of  a  fine  carna- 
tion color. 

Turkish  method  of  preparing  Carmine. 

Infuse  during  three  or  four  days,  in  a  large  jar  filled 
with  white  wine  vinegar,  a  pound  of  Brazil  wood, 
shavings  of  Femambucca,  having  first  beaten  them  to 
a  coarse  powder :  boil  them  afterwards  for  half  an 
hour ;  then  strain  off  the  liquor  through  a  coarse  linen 
cloth,  set  it  again  upon  the  fire,  and,  having  dissolved 
half  a  pound  of  alum  in  white  wine  vinegar,  mix  both 
liquors  together,  and.  stir  the  mixture  well  with  a  spa- 
tula. The  scum  that  rises  is  the  carmine  :  skim  it  off 
carefully,  and  dry  it  for  use. 

Obs. — Carmine  may  also  be  made  witli  cochineal,  or 
red  Sanders,  instead  of  Brazil  wood. 

.^  Secret  to  Efface  Wrivkles. 
Throw    on    a  red-hot    iron    shovel    some    powdered 


06  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 

mj^rrh,  and  receive  the  smoke  on  the  face,  covering  t?  e 
head  with  a  handkerchief  to  prevent  the  fumes  from 
being  dissipated.  Let'  the  operation  be  repeated  three 
times, — then  heat  the  shovel  again,  and  when  red  hot 
as  before,  pour  on  it  a  mouthful  of  white  wine,  and  hold 
your  face  over  the  smoke  arising  from  it,  three  succes- 
sive times.  Continue  this  practice  every  night  and 
morning,  as  long  as  you  see  occasion. 

THE  MONTPELLIER  TOILETTE. 

Take  for  this  purpose  a  new  light- woven  linen  cloth, 
and  cut  it  of  a  proper  size  to  make  a  toilette.  Wash 
the  cloth  perfectly  clean  in  different  waters;  then 
spread  it  out  to  dry,  and  afterwards  steep  it  twenty-four 
hours  in  sweet-scented  water — namely,  half  angelic 
and  half  rose  water.  On  removing  the  cloth  out  of  the 
water,  gently  squeeze  it,  and  hang  it  up  to  dry  in  the 
open  air.  Then  lay  on  it  the  following  composition — 
Take  Orange  flowers,  dried     .     .     .     .     ^  pound. 

Roots  of  elecampane      .     .     .     .    ^  pound. 

Florentine  orris ^  pound. 

Yellow  Sanders 4  ounces. 

Residuum  of  angelic  water     .     .     2  ounces. 

Rosewood  and  sweet  flag,  each  .     1  ounce. 

Gumlabdanum ^  ounce. 

Calamus  aromaticus       .     .     .     .     ^  ounce. 

Cloves 2  ounce. 

Cinnamon 2  drachms. 

Beat  all  these  ingredients  into  powder,  and  make  them 


I  BKAUTY,  AND  FASHION.  97 

into  a  paste  with  mucilage  of  gum  tragacanth,  dissolved 
in  angelic  water.  With  this  paste  rub  your  toilette 
cloth  hard  on  both  sides,  leaving  on  it  the  little  bits 
that  may  adhere,  because  they  render  the  surface  more 
smooth.  Afterwards  hang  up  the  cloth,  and  when  half 
dry,  again  rub  both  sides  with  a  sponge  wetted  with 
angelic  water,  to  render  the  cloth  still  more  smooth ; 
after  which  dry  it  thoroughly  and  fold  it  up. 

This  cloth  is  generally  lined  with  taffety,  and  covered 
with  satin,  and  is  now  enclosed  with  more  than  two 
pieces  of  some  kind  of  thin  silk. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE    MOUTH    A\D    BREATH. 

Ovid's  directions  for  the  management  of  the  mouth  ajid 
face  is  a  piece  of  sterling  advice,  which  our  female 
readers  in  particular  cannot  too  much  appreciate  :  we 
make  no  apology  therefore  for  extracting  it : — 

"  Let  not  the  nymph  with  laughter  much  abound, 
Whose  teeth  are  black,  uneven,  or  unsound  ! 
You'd  hardly  think  how  much  on  this  depends, 
And  how  a  laugh  or  spoils  the  face  or  mends  : 
Gape  not  too  wide,  lest  you  disclose  your  gums, 
And  lose  the  dimple  which  the  cheek  becomes  ; 
Nor  let  your  sides  too  strong  concussions  shake, 
Lest  you  the  softness  of  the  sex  forsake. 


98  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 

In  some,  distortions  quite  the  face  disguise ; 
Another  laughs  that  you  would  think  she  cries  j 
In  one,  too  hoarse  a  voice  we  hear  betrayed  : 
Another  is  as  harsh  as   if  she  brayed." 

The  half  smile  is  said  to  indicate  innocence  and 
virtue;  and  the  smile  inspires  love  and  friendship. 
The  laugh,  in  its  turn,  expresses  lively  joy  and  undis- 
sembled  mirth.  The  laugh,  however,  is  far  from  having 
in  females  the  gTace  of  the  smile  :  when  carried  to 
excess  it  becomes  ridiculous,  and  is  converted  into  a 
frightful  grimace.  If  it  is  habitual,  it  in  time  totally 
alters  the  face,  imprints  wrinkles  upon  it,  distorts  all 
the  features,  and  entirely  destroys  all  its  beauty.  Of 
this  truth  Ovid  was  thoroughly  convinced  when  he 
gave  the  above  advice. 

The  purity  of  the  breath  is  another  advantage  that 
cannot  be  too  much  prized ;  the  contrary  defect  is  the 
most  unfortunate  circumstance  that  can  befal  beauty, 
or  conjugal  felicity,  in  any  station  in  life,  and  is  alone 
sufficient  to  annihilate,  in  an  instant,  the  most  perfect 
and  otherwise  inviting  charms.  In  order  to  preserve 
the  beauty  of  the  teeth,  and  the  purity  of  the  breath, 
the  Arabs  accustom  themselves  and  are  continually 
chewing  mastic,  the  Turks  sakkes,  and  the  Persians 
konderuum. 

A  fcEtid  breath  may  be  the  consequence  of  various 
causes  : — 

1.  From  diseased  lungs  ; 

2.  Smoking  tobacco ; 


BEAUTY,    ANU    FASHION.  90 

3.  Excessive  drinking  of  malt  and  spirituous  liquors  ; 

4.  The  state  of  the  stomach   and  organs  of  digestion  ; 

5.  Neglect  of  the  teeth  and  mouth  ; 
C.  The  abuse  of  mercury  ; 

7.     Scorbutic  taint  in  the  blood. 

When  the  strong  smell  of  the  breath  proceeds  from 
diseased  lungs, — riding  on  horseback,  fresh  air,  and 
the  use  of  gargles  of  myrrh,  or  of  the  infusion  of  oak- 
bark,  with  proper  attention  to  the  state  of  the  bowels, 
may  palliate  the  affection,  and  ultimately  remove  it,  if 
not  too  deeply  seated. 

If  from  smoking  tobacco  and  excessive  drinking, 
which  always  derange  the  digestive  organs,  the  cause 
must  be  removed  before  the  effect  can  cease  ;  but  clean- 
liness, and  attention  to  the  state  of  the  mouth  and  teeth, 
morning  and  night,  may  remove  the  inconvenience  so 
far  as  to  render  it  tolerable.  Tonic  gargles,  charcoal, 
and  Peruvian  bark,  or  myrrh,  for  a  tooth-powder ;  and 
chewing  occasionally  a  little  mastic  will  do  this. 

If  from  the  abuse  of  mercury,  the  blood  must  be 
purified  by  a  decoction  of  the  woods  and  a  course  of 
alterative  medicine,  in  conjunction  with  the  gargles 
and  tooth-powders  above  recommended.  Charcoal  pas- 
tilles correct  the  breath  ;  they  are  made  in  the  manner 
of  lozenges;  and  a  few  drops  of  pyroligneous  acid  will 
correct  for  tlie  time  being,  the  most  offensive  odor  of 
the  breath. 

Besides  the  causes  abovi-  enumerated,  various  parti- 
cular ones  may,  either   singly    or   combined    with   tlit 


100  THK    TOILKTTE    OF    HEALTH, 

former,  contribute  to  the  foeter  of  the  breath.  This 
disagreable  quality  is  frequenty  the  consequences  of 
repeated  watching,  of  excessive  fatigue,  immoderate 
pleasures  or  amusements.  When  the  vitiated  smell  of 
the  breath  proceeds  from  an  incurable  evil,  the  person 
so  affected  is  reduced  to  the  sad  necessity  of  removing 
tliis  smell  by  others  of  a  different  kind.  For  this  pur- 
pose cashoo  is  recommended,  to  which,  as  it  combines 
with  many  other  odoriferous  substances,  any  smell  may 
be  given  that  is  preferred  by  the  individual. 

There  are  many  forms  prescribed  for  sweetening  the 
breath  :  we  shall  here  select  a  few,  that  our  readers 
may  have  a  resource  at  all  times  to  fly  to,  from  what- 
ever cause  they  may  be  temporarily  or  permanently 
tainted. 

A  fragrant  Quid. 

Take  gum  fragaranth  and  cashoo,  enough  of  each  to 
make  a  ball  about  the  size  -of  a  filbert ;  scent  it  with 
Cologne  water,  oil  of  bergamot,  ambergris,  or  any  other 
agreeable  perfume. 

Keep  a  quid  made  in  this  manner  always  in  your 
mouth,  when  you  want  your  breath  sweet ;  or,  you  may 
chew  occasionally  a  bit  of  the  root  of  Florentine  iris, 
or  gum  mastic ;  or  wash  the  mouth  frequently,  as 
already  observed,  with  the  tincture  of  myrrh  :  or,  at 
night  going  to  bed,  chew  a  piece  of  fine  myrrh,  about  the 
size  of  a  small  nut  :  or  every  night  and  morning  a  clove  ; 
or  about  the   size  of  a   small  bean   of  burnt  alum  ;  or, 


BJEAUTV,    ANU    !•  ASHIUN.  101 

Take  Good  old  port     .     .  1  pint 

Best  red  bark       .     .  iS  ounce 

White   wine   ■     ■     .  h  pi^t 

Cloves,  bruised,  No  3 

Let  them  stand  for  a  week.  Take  a  wine  glassful  going 
to  bed.  This  is  also  an  excellent  remedy  for  loose, 
spongy,  and  scorbutic  gums,  decayed  teeth,  &Ai. 

Water,  in  which  charcoal  has  lain  for  some  time, 
filtered,  a  wine  glass  morning,  noon,  and  night,  is  an 
excellent  and  simple  fluid  for  a  foetid  breath :  any 
agreeable  aromatic,  as  tincture  of  myrrh,  half  a  drachm  ; 
tincture  of  Peruvian  bark  ;  of  aloes,  &c.  the  same. 

Attention  to  the  state  of  the  bowels  is  an  indispensa- 
ble requisite  where  the  breath  is  tainted,  from  whatever 
cause.  Some  mild  saline  aperient  for  choleric  tempera- 
ment and  some  warm  opening  pill,  as  the  pill  cochia, 
or  colocynth  with  calomel,  will  answer  best  for  the 
idilegmatic,  at  the  same  time  it  will  answer  as  well  for 
the  choleric,  if  the  bowels  be  not  easily  moved. 

Take  Extract  colocynth,  C.        h  drachm 

Oil  of  mint  3  drops 

Submuriate  of  quicksilver  10  grains 

Syrup  of  buckthorn  9  scruples 

Make  ten  pills,  and  take  one  morning  and  evening  till 
tlifv  j)roduce  the  desired  effect. 

10* 


102  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  LIPS. 

The  lips  are  liable  to  excoriations  and  chaps,  which 
often  extend  to  a  considerable  depth.  These  chaps  are 
occasioned  by  severe  cold  ;  almost  any  kind  of  unctuous 
substance  may  be  applied  as  an  emollient  remedy. 

There  are  different  sorts  of  salve  for  the  lips.  See 
page  8G. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


THE    TEETH    AXD    GUMS. 


'He  who    pays  no  aUenlion    lo  the  teelb,  by  this   single  neglect  betrays  vulgar 
sentiment.'— LAV  ATER. 

The  teeth  are  bones  protruding  from  the  upper  and 
lower  jawS;  amply  supplied  with  nerves  and  blood  ves- 
sels, and  covered  with  a  fine  enamel,  more  or  less  dense 
in  different  persons.  When  this  enamel  is  destroyed, 
either  by  external  or  internal  causes,  the  tooth  cannot 
long  remain  sound,  and  requires  to  be  cautiously 
treated,  if  there  be  a  wish  to  have  it  preserved;  since 
more  teeth  are  injured  and  destroyed  by  ignorant  and 


BEACTV,    AND    FASHION.  103 

improper  cleaning,  than  by  all  the  othor  causes  of  tooth- 
ache and  rotting  put  together. 

CleanUness,  and  fortifying  the  teeth  and  gums,  are 
the  fittest  means  of  preserving  them  ;  tooth-picks,  tooth- 
brushes, dentifrices,  and  scaling  them,  are  so  indiscrim- 
inately used,  that  no  little  attention  is  requisite  in  right 
ordering  these  necessary  processes.  It  is  well  knowm 
that  savages  have  uniformly  white  teeth,  and  they  have 
no  absurd  artifices  for  keeping  them  in  that  condition. 

Metal  tooth-picks,  let  them  even  be  of  gold  or  silver, 
injure  the  enamel  more  or  less,  and  the  hard  bristly 
tooth-brushes  and  dentifrices  act  upon  this  nicely 
polished  surface  with  equal  injury,  if  not  judiciously 
selected  and  applied.  And  if  once  the  smallest  portion 
of  the  enamel  of  a  tooth  is  destroyed,  it  never  is  restored, 
consequently  the  tooth  decays,  and  ultimately  breaks 
down  upon  the  gums. 

The  best  tooth-pick  is  a  quill  bluntly  pointed,  and 
even  this  requires  judicious  management :  rinsing  the 
mouth  with  warm  water  is  the  best  cleanser  of  the  en- 
amel, where  incrustations  are  not  formed. 

Cleanliness  of  the  teeth  is  to  the  eye  what  purity  of 
breath  is  to  the  sense  of  smelling.  Nothing,  indeed,  is 
more  pleasing  than  clean  white  teeth,  and  gums  of  the 
color  of  the  rose ;  nothing  more  disagreeable  than  dirty 
black  teeth,  thickly  encrusted  with  tartar,  a  sight  alonr- 
sufHcient  to  excite  disgust ;  the  most  beautiful  face  and 
vermilion  lips  being  repulsive,  if  the  latter,  wlicn 
they  open,  exhibit  the  slovenly  sj>cctacle  of  neglected 


104  THE    TOILETTE    OK    HEALTH, 

teeth.  It  was,  therefore,  a  just  observation  of  Lava- 
ter,  that  the  mere  sight  of  the  teeth  is  capable  of  giving 
us  a  perfect  insight  into  the  character  of  a  person, 
and  that  foul  teeth  announce  vulgar  sentiments. 
The  desire  to  please  is  not  the  only  motive  that  ought 
to  induce  people  to  pay  the  greatest  attention  to  their 
teeth,  both  as  regards  cleanliness  and  preservation. 
Health  depends,  in  a  great  measure,  on  good,  sound, 
and  clean  teeth — good,  in  order  to  the  perfect  mastica- 
tion of  food;  sound,  that  they  may  not  impregnate  the 
alimentary  substances  with  a  vitiated  and  unwholesome 
juice. 

The  good  condition  of  the  teeth  is  absolutely  necessa- 
ry for  the  formation  of  the  voice,  and  the  articulation  of 
words.  Vacancies,  more  or  less  considerable,  are  al- 
ways injurious  to  the  plainness  of  pronunciation,  and 
the  harmony  of  speech ;  in  fine,  Cicero  compared  the 
teeth  with  the  strings  of  an  instrument  which  modify 
the  sound.  The  interest  of  beauty,  above  every  other, 
imperiously  enjoins  the  preservation  of  the  teeth. 

The  teeth  have  not  only  their  particular  beauty,  re- 
sulting from  their  regularity,  form,  and  whiteness,  but 
they  also  necessarily  contribute  to  the  general  beauty  of 
the  figure.  When  they  are  gone,  the  lips  and  cheeks, 
deprived  of  that  natural  support  which  they  received 
from  them,  fall  in,  and  exhibit  the  not  very  pleasing 
image  of  premature  old  age.  How  many  reasons  thus 
combine  to  induce  the  fair  sex  in  particular,  to  bestow 
the  greatest  care  on  the  preservation  of  these  valuable 
organs. 


BEAUTV,  AMJ  fashion.  105 

The  beauty  of  the  teeth  particularly  consists  in  their 
position,  their  arrangement,  their  regularity,  their 
cleanliness,  and  their  whiteness.  These  conditions  of 
the  teeth  are  essential  to  beauty.  Art  cannot,  in  this 
case,  furnish  a  remedy  for  the  defects  of  nature  ;  it 
presents  resources,  which  every  woman  jealous  of  her 
charms  ought  not  to  neglect.  But  these  means  are 
not  within  the  range  of  cosmetics ;  recourse  must  be 
had  to  the  hand  and  instrument  of  a  skilful  dentist, 
which  renders  it  unnecessary  to  say  much  more  on  this 
subject.  The  cleanlines  and  whiteness  of  the  teeth, 
and  the  means  of  attaining  this  state  of  perfection, 
falling  more  particularly  within  the  range  of  our  views, 
we  shall  here  devote  some  considerations  to  this  desi- 
deratum. 

Attention  to  the  cleanhness  of  the  mouth  is  the  first 
step  towards  preserving  the  teeth  in  a  sound  state,  and 
preventing  that  dreadful  scourge  the  tooth-ache.  For 
this  purpose  it  is  only  necessary  to  wash  the  teeth  daily 
with  luke-warm  water,  or  with  salt  and  water.  Hot 
water  ought  never  to  be  used  with  tliis  ingredient. 
White  teeth  being  a .  particular  object  of  ambition  with 
females,  a  number  of  useless  recipes  have  been  invented 
for  this  purpose.  3Iany,  indeed,  of  these  recepes  are 
extremely  pernicious,  inasmuch  as  they  will  gradually 
destroy  the  enamel  which  more  especially  contributes 
to  the  solidity  of  the  teeth.  Among  these  dangerous 
nostrums  may  be  reckoned,  in  the  first  place,  those 
dentifrices,  electuaries,  and  opiates  whi.ch   contain  cor- 


106  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH. 

rosive  powders,  such  as  emery,  pumice  stone,  and  others. 
Such  articles  wear  the  enamel  by  friction.  In  the  next 
class  may  be  ranged  those  tinctures,  spirits,  and  elixirs 
which  contain  a  mineral  acid,  and  wliich  chemically 
effect  the  destruction  of  the  enamel. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

MOUTH,  TONGUE,  THROAT,  TEETH,  AND  GUMS. 

The  mouth  and  tongue  require  particular  care.  The 
former  should  be  rinsed  every  morning,  after  dinner, 
and  the  last  thing  at  night,  with  cold  water  ;  but  in  the 
winter  the  chill  may  be  taken  off  it.  The  frequent 
washing  of  the  mouth  is  otherwise  necessary,  because 
the  viscid  slime,  and  small  particles  of  food  which  settle 
about  the  interstices  of  the  teeth,  are  very  apt  to  putrify, 
and  if  not  removed  will  affect  the  breath,  and  gradually 
injure  the  teeth  themselves.  Besides,  this  slime  settles 
on  the  tongue,  covers  the  papillce  or  little  eminences 
which  are  the  organs  of  taste,  and  renders  the  palate 
less  sensible.  The  tongue  ought  no  less  to  be  cleansed 
every  morning,  either  with  a  small  piece  of  whale-bone, 
or  with  a  sage  leaf,  which  is  also  useful  for  polishing 


BF.AITV,    AND    FASHION.  107 

the  teeth.  To  clear  the  throat  it  should  bo  gargled 
with  fresh  water,  and  a  mouthful  of  the  same  fluid  swal- 
lowed every  morning  fasting — the  latter  practice  must 
not,  however,  be  attempted  too  hastily,  but  when  once 
accustomed  to  it,  it  will  be  attended  with  advantage. 

Acids  in  general  possess  the  property  of  making  the 
teeth  white,  in  the  same  manner  as  aqua-fortis  does 
colored  marble,  namely,  by  destroying  its  polish  and 
solidity.  An  experiment,  which  any  one  may  repeat, 
proves  that  the  teeth  grow  soft  sooner  or  later  in  acid 
liquors,  and  that  the  earthy  and  calcareous  part  which 
constitutes  their  solidity,  appears  at  the  bottom  of  the 
vessel,  under  the  form  of  a  sediment.  Vinegar  is  not 
the  only  acid  that  injures  the  teeth  by  making  them 
white  for  a  short  time  ;  all  acid  substances  wliich  set 
them  an  edge,  such  as  sorel,  lemon,  cream  of  tartar, 
and  especially  mineral  acids,  in  whatever  form  they 
are  employed,  produce  the  same  effect. 

The  teeth  are  liable  to  lose  their  whiteness  by  the 
influence  of  various  causes — for  instance,  they  become 
encrusted  with  tartareous  matter,  and  arc  tarnished 
either  by  the  actions  of  certain  elements,  or  by  the 
exhalations  of  the  stomach.  When  the  loss  of  white- 
ness is  occasioned  by  the  production  of  tartar,  a  coral 
stick  may  be  used  to  clean  the  teeth,  and  to  remove 
the  tartareous  salt.  The  blackness  of  the  teeth  may 
be  corrected  by  the  following  process  : — pulverise  equal 
parts  of  tartar  and  salt,  and  having  washed  your  teeth 
fastinff.  rub  them  with  this  powder 


108  THE    TOILETTE     OP    HEALTH, 

The  preservation  of  the  teeth  depends  not  only  on 
the  particular  pains  necessary  to  be  taken  with  them^ 
but  also  on  the  regimen  best  adapted  to  health.  The 
teeth  do  not  long  continue  sound  with  bad  digestion, 
with  unwholesome  food,  with  a  stomach  which  but 
imperfectly  discharges  its  functions,  and  with  vitiated 
digestive  juices.  All  these  causes  may  contribute  to 
the  decay  of  the  teeth,  and  the  bad  state  of  the  gums. 

The  following  precautions  are  necessary  to  preserve 
the  teeth. 

1.  Cold  applications  are  injurious  to  the   teeth. 

2.  Too  hot  aliments  are  likewise  hurtful.  It  has 
been  observed,  that  great  tea-drinkers  commonly  have 
yellow   teeth. 

3.  Cutting  thread  or  silk  with  the  teeth  is  a  bad 
habit  which  wears  the  enamel,  loosens  them,  sometimes 
breaks  pieces  off,  and  in  time  spoils  their  form.  The 
shortness  of  the  incisor  teeth  in  some  females  is  a  mark 
of  this  bad  habit. 

4.  Avoid  cracking  nuts  or  walnuts,  or  biting  hard 
substances  of  any  kind  with  the  teeth.  If  you  do  not 
break  them  always  by  such  unnatural  violence,  you  at 
least  loosen  them,  and  painful  tooth-aches  are  not  un- 
frequently  the   consequences. 

5.  Dangerous  diversions,  such  as  carrying  or  lifting 
weights  with  the  teeth,  are  very  destructive  both  of 
teeth  and  gums. 

6.  In  masticating  food  both  jaws  ought  to  be  equally 
used.     Where  one  side  is  only  put  in  action,  the  teeth. 


BEAUTY,    AND    FASHION.  109 

on  the  inactive  side  are  more  liable  to  accumulate 
tartar,  and  to  decay ;  they  are  also  less  firm  in  their 
sockets,  and  are  sometimes  subject,  especially  the  grind- 
ers, to  be  partly  covered  by  the  gums. 

7.  The  use  of  metallic  tooth-picks,  pins,  forks,  &c., 
with  which  people  are  in  the  slovenly  and  thoughtless 
habit  of  picking  their  teeth,  ought  to  be  studiously  pro- 
scribed. 

8.  Abstain  from  washing  the  head. 

9.  Cold  feet  are  another  cause  of  tooth-ache. 

10.  The  naked  costume,  damp  night  air,  and  the  fash- 
ion of  wearing  the  hair  too  short,  very  frequently  con- 
tribute to  disorder  the  teeth. 

The  principal  precautions  for  the  preservation  of  the 
teeth,  consist  above  all  things,  in  securing  them  from 
tartar,  their  greatest  enemy,  and  caries,  which  is  some- 
times the  consequence  of  their  being  too  much  exposed 
to  the  action  of  that  corrosive  matter. 

The  gums  cannot  be  healthy  unless  they  are  firm  and 
red,  and  adhere  to  the  roots  of  the  teeth.  These  quali- 
ties dei>end  in  a  great  measure  on  tlie  state  of  the  health. 

The  gums  are  liable  to  a  variety  of  accidents  which 

impair  both  their  health  and  beauty,  and  which  often 

transform  them  into  objects  most  disgusting  to  the  eye. 

Sometimes   they   grow   soft,   swell,   and  appear  full  of 

livid  and  corrupted  blood — at  others  they  project,  and 

cover  great  part  of  the  teeth  ;  they  also  become  inflamed 

and  painful,  and  covered  with  offensive  and  malignant 

ulcers. 

11 


no  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 

When  disease  of  the  gums  proceeds  from  internal 
causes,  these  must  be  first  attacked  with  adequate  reme- 
dies :  in  this  case  recourse  must  be  had  to  medical  ad- 
vice ;  we  shall  only  here,  therefore,  consider  such  cases 
for  which  local  applications  are  sufficient. 

Tincture  for  the  Teeth  and  Gums. 

Take  Peruvian  bark  coarsely  powdered  one  ounce,  and 
infuse  it  for  a  fortnight  in  half  a  pint  of  brandy. 

Gargle  the  mouth  morning  and  night  with  a  teaspoon- 
ul  of  this  tincture,  diluted  with  an  equal  quantity  of 
rose  water. 

Mixture  for  Caries,  or  Rotten  Teeth. 

Make  a  balsam  with  a  sufficient  quantity  of  honey, 
two  scruples  of  myrrh  in  fine  powder,  a  scruple  of  gum 
juniper,  and  ten  grains  of  roche-alum.  A  portion  to  be 
applied  frequently  to  the  decayed  teeth. 

A  Liquid  Remedy  for  the  same. 

Take  a  pint  of  the  juice  of  the  wild  gourd,  a  quarter 
of  a  pound  of  mulberry  bark  and  pellitory  of  Spain,  each 
three  ounces.  Roche-alum,  sal  gem,  and  borax,  of  each 
half  an  ounce.  Put  these  ingredients  into  a  vessel,  and 
distil,  in  a  sand  heat,  to  dryness.  Take  of  this  liquor 
and  brandy,  each  an  equal  part,  and  wash  the  mouth 
with  them  warm. 

The  mixture  removes  and  corrects  all  putrid  sub- 
stances in  the  mouth  or  teeth. 


BEAUTY,    AND    FASHION.  Ill 

.i  Coral  Stick  for   the   Teeth. 

Make  a  stiff  paste  with  tooth  powder  and  a  sufficient 
quantity  of  mucilage  of  gum  tragacanth  :  form  with 
this  paste  cylindrical  rollers,  tiie  thickness  of  a  large 
goose-quill,  and  about  three  inches   in  length. 

The  way  to  use  this  stick  is  to  rub  it  against  the 
teeth,  which  become  cleaner  in  proportion  as  it  wastes. 

To  give  Firmness  to  Soft  Gums. 

Take  Spanish  wine,  and  distilled  water  of  bramble 
leaves,  of  each  one  pint ;  cinnamon,  half  an  ounce  ; 
cloves  and  Seville  orange  peel,  of  each  two  drachms; 
gumlac  and  calcined  alum,  of  each  one  drachm.  Re- 
duce the  whole  to  a  fine  powder,  and  add  two  ounces  of 
Narbonne  honey.  Put  this  mixture  into  a  glass  bottle, 
set  it  on  hot  ashes,  and  let  it  stand  four  days  ;  on  the 
fifth,  strain  the  liquid  by  pressure  through  a  thick  linen 
cloth,  and  then  put  it  away  in  a  well-corked  bottle  till 
used. 

When  the  gums  want  hardening,  take  a  spoonful  o^ 
this  liquid,  and  pour  it  into  a  glass.  Use  half  of  it  at 
first  to  rinse  the  mputh,  in  which  it  must  be  retained 
for  a  minute  or  two.  Then  spit  it  out  and  take  the 
other  half,  which  also  hold  in  the  mouth  a  longer  or 
shorter  time,  accordingly  as  tiie  gums  have  more  or 
less  occasion  to  be  strengthened.  Rub  them  at  the 
same  time  with  the  finger;  then  wash  the  mnuth  with 
lukewarm  water. 

Obs. — This   operation    is    to    hf    ]»erforiiit<l     tlif    tir.-t 


112  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 

thing  in  the  morning,  and  the  last  at  night.  To  render 
the  remedy  still  more  effective,  add  to  the  whole  of  the 
liquor  half  a  pint  of  cinnamon  water  distilled  with 
white  wine. 

To  reduce  the  gums  when  swollen  with  vitiated 
lymph  ;  gargle  with  red  wine,  in  which  a  small  quantity 
of  Florentine  iris  has  been  boiled.  If  the  gums  are 
ulcerated  in  consequence  of  the  scorbutic  tendency  or 
bad  state  of  the  blood,  use  scurvy-grass  to  cleanse  and 
strengthen  them ;  but  at  the  same  time  a  commensurate 
internal  treatment  must  be  adopted. 

The  Turkish  ladies  chew  mastic  fasting  to  give  their 
breath  an  agreeable  odor,  as  well  to  prevent  the  tooth- 
ache. 

FALSE   TEETH. 

The  loss  of  teeth  is  not  totally  irreparable.  Formerly 
they  used  fo  be  transplanted  from  one  individual  to 
another  ;  the  practice,  however,  having  been  productive 
of  serious  consequences,  caused  it  to  be  discontinued. 
Artificial  teeth  are  now  so  naturally  made,  as  to  re- 
semble the  real  ones  so  closely  as  almost  to  prevent 
detection ;  and  if  they  do  not  completely  satisfy  the 
stomach,  they  leave,  at  least,  nothing  to  be  desired 
by  the  self-love  of  the  fair,  and  perfectly  fill  up  every 
unseemly  gap.  False  teeth  are  commonly  made  of 
ivory ;  though  latterly  various  compositions  have  been 
invented  for  the  same  purpose.  To  some  of  these  any 
tint  may  be  given ;  so  that  they  have  the  advantage  of 


BEAUTY,  AND  FASHION.  113 

matching  perfectly  in  color  witli  the  natural  teetli, 
beside  which  they  are  to  be  placed — an  advantage 
which  ivory  teeth  do  not  afford. 

DENTIFRICES. 

To  clean   the   Teeth   and   Gums. 

Take  an  ounce  of  myrrh  in  fine  powder ;  two  spoon- 
fuls of  the  best  white  honey,  and  a  little  green  sage 
in  very  fine  powder.  Mix  them  well  together,  and 
wet  the  teeth  and  gums  with  a  little  every  night  and 
morning. 

Obs. — This  preparation  will  make  flesh  grow  close 
to  the  root  of  the  enamel. 

Tooth   Powder. 

Take  myrrh,  roche-alum,  dragon's  blood,  and  cream 
of  tartar,  of  each  half  an  ounce. 

Obs. — This,  though  simple,  is  an  efficacious  denti- 
frice ;  though  it  ougiit  not  to  be  used  too  often,  for 
fear  of  injuring  the  enamel. 

.Another. 

Take  pumice  stone,  and  cuttle-fish  bone,  of  each  halt 
an  ounce ;  vitriolated  tartar,  and  mastic,  of  each  a 
drachm  ;  oil  of  rhodium,  four  drops.  Mix  all  into  a 
fine  powder. 

Another. 

Take  prepared  coral   and   dragon  g  blood,  of  each  an 
11- 


114  THE    TOILETTE     OF     HEALTH, 

ounce ;  cinnamon  and  cloves,  of  each  six  drachms ; 
cuttle-fish  bone,  and  calcined  eggshells,  of  each  half 
an  ounce ;  sea-salt  decrepitated,  a  drachm,  all  in  fine 
powder.     Mix  them   in  a  marble  mortar. 

A  proportion  of  Venetian  red  added  to  this  form,  will 
constitute  what  is  called,  by  way  of  distinction,  the 
Asiatic  dentifrice,  or  nearly  so.  The  following  is  the 
exact  formula  of  the 

Asiatic  Dentifrices. 
Take  Red  Coral  prepared     .     .     8  lb.  4  oz. 

Venetian  red 12  oz.  3  drs. 

Ocre  and  pumice  stone    .     1  lb.  2  oz.  6  drs. 
China   musk 1   drachm. 

Lardner's  prepared  Charcoal. 

Chalk,  colored  grey,  with  charcoal. 

Another. 

Take  Florentine  iris  ....  4  ounces. 
Cuttle-fish  bones  ...  2  ounces. 
Cream  of  tartar  ....      1  ounce. 

Oil  of  cloves       ....  16    drops. 

Lake 16  drops. 

To  whiten  and  beautify  the  Teeth. 
Take  Gum  tragacanth      ...     1  ounce. 

Pumice  stone       ....     2  drachms. 

Gum  arable ^  ounce. 

Cream  of  tartar   ....     1  ounce. 


BEAUTV,  AND  FASHION.  115 

Dissolve  the  gums  in  rose  water,  and,  adding  to  it 
the  powder,  form  the  whole  into  little  sticks,  which  are 
to  be  dried  slowly  in  the  shade,  and  afterwards  kept  for 
use. 

Another. 

Take  dried  leaves  of  hyssop,  wild  thyme,  and  mint, 
of  each  half  an  ounce;  roche-alum,  prepared  hartshorn, 
and  salt,  of  each  a  drachm ;  calcine  these  ingredients 
in  a  pot  placed  on  burning  coals.  When  sufficiently 
calcined,  add  of  pepper  emd  mastic,  each  half  a  drachm, 
and  myrrh  a  scruple,  reduce  the  whole  to  a  fine  powder, 
and  make  them  into  a  proper  consistence  with  storax 
dissolved  in  rose  water. 

Rub  the  teeth  with  a  small  bit  of  this  mixture  every 

morning,  and   afterwards  wash  the    mouth  with   warm 

wine. 

Another. 

Dip  a  piece  of  clean  rag  in  the  oxymel  of  squills,  and 
rub  tjie  teeth  and  gums  with  it.  This  not  only  whitens, 
but  fastens  and  strengthens  the  roots  of  the  teeth,  and 
corrects  an  offensive  breath. 

Another. 

Take  rose  water,  syrup  of  violets,  clarified  honey,  and 
plantain  water,  of  each  half  an  ounce ;  spirit  of  vitriol 
one  ounce ;  mix  them  together.  Rub  the  teeth  with  a 
linen  rag  moistened  in  this  liquor,  and  then  rinse  t!ie 
mouth  with   equal    parts  of  rose  and  plantain  water. 


116  THE     TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 

.Another. 

Rub  them  with  nettle  or  tobacco  ashes,  or  with  vine 
ashes,  mixed  with  a  httle  honey. 

Obs. — Charcoal  alone  stands  pre-eminent  in  the  rank 
of  dentifrices.  From  the  property  it  possesses  of  de- 
stroying the  coloring  particles,  it  has  been  turned  to  a 
good  purpose  as  a  tooth  powder  for  whitening  the 
teeth ;  and  as  it  attacks  only  the  coloring  matter  on 
fhe  teeth,  it  does  no  injury  to  the  enamel.  It  possesses 
besides  the  property  of  opposing  putrefaction,  of  check- 
ing its  progress,  and  even  causing  it  to  retrograde  ; 
hence  it  is  calculated  to  destroy  the  vices  of  the  gums, 
to  clean  them,  and  to  correct  the  foetor  which  may  accu- 
mulate in  the  mouth  and  among  the  teeth  :  in  these  two 
respects,  powdered  charcoal  is  the  tooth-powder,  for 
excellence,  and  is  accordingly  recommended  by  many 
eminent  physicians  and  chemists.  It  may  occasionally 
be  used  either  %vith  myrrh,  Peruvian  bark,  cream  of 
tartar,  or  chalk  :  see  p.  114. 


BEAUTY,     A5D     FASHIO.X.  117 


CHAPTER  XVll. 


TO  RELIEVE  THE  TOOTH-ACHE   WITHOUT   REMOVING 
THE  TOOTH. 


We  ought  necessarily  here  to  say  something  concern- 
ing the  tooth-ache,  that  excruciating  pain,  that  *  hell  o' 
a'  diseases,  as  the  Scotch  poet  Bums  says — 

'  ^V'hen  fevers  burn,  or  ague  freezes. 
Rheumatics  gnaw,  or  colic  squeezes, 
Our  neiglibors'  sympathj'  may  ease  us, 

Wi'  pitying  moan  ; 
But  tooth-ache  hell  o'  a'  diseases  ! 

Aye  mocks  our  groan.' 

and  which,  in  a  very  short  time,  distorts  the  features  of 
the  finest  face,  and  sometimes  very  seriously  affects  the 
health. 

The  tooth-ache  proceeds  from  such  a  variety  of 
causes,  that  no  certain  specific  has  yet  been  discovered, 
and  it  is  perhaps  easier  to  say  what  should  be  avoided, 
than  to  direct  precisely  what  ought  to  be  done.  Those 
who  make  a  trade  of  curing  the  tooth-ache,  and  prefer 
the  appearance  of  success,  and  promptness  of  effect,  to 
the  welfare  of  their  patients,  make  use  of  camphor 
and    opium    dissolved    in  ethereal  oil    of   cloves ;  and 


118  THE   TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 

deafness  has  been  sometimes  known  to  be  the  conse- 
quence. Opium  employed  in  any  other  way  than  as  a 
narcotic  is  not  always  successful ;  it  relaxes  the  minute 
fibres  which  fasten  the  teeth  in  their  sockets  ;  and  it  has 
been  observed  that  those  who  make  frequent  use  of  it 
soon  lose  their  teeth.  The  same  inconvenience  also  re- 
sults from  the  use  of  spirit  of  scurvy  grass,  which,  it  is 
true,  sometimes  allays  the  tooth-ache,  but  it  swells  the 
gmns,  loosens  the  teeth,  and  at  length  occasions  the  loss 
of  them. 

Generally  speaking,  all  strong  or  corrosive  liquids  ap- 
plied for  curing  the  tooth-ache,  are  pernicious,  and  ought 
not  to  be  used  but  with  the  strictest  caution ;  for  it  would 
be  too  harsh  to  prohibit  their  use  entirely  to  afflicted 
patients  troubled  with  this  dreadful  malady,  when  they 
experience  no  relief  from  any  of  the  remedies  with 
which  they  are  acquainted.  Let  us  now  lay  down  some 
remedies  employed  for  curing  or  appeasing  the  tooth- 
ache. 

When  tooth-ache  evidently  arises  from  a  decayed  or 
hollow  tooth,  and  the  patient  is  unwilling  to  have  it  ex- 
tracted, the  first  thing  to  be  done  is  to  ease  the  excru- 
ciating pain,  which,  as  Burns  says,  '  bears  the  bell  of 
all  misery  and  rankest  plagues.'  One  of  the  most 
powerful  remedies  for  this,  is  exciting  some  strong 
emotion  of  the  mind,  such  as  terror,  hope,  wonder, 
and  the  like — the  great  engines,  by  the  way,  used  by 
the  early  as  well  as  modern  miracle-mongers.  If  you 
have  faith  in  these,  the  remedy  is  certain.     The  noto- 


BEAUTY,  AND  FASHION.  119 

rious  Valentine  Greatrakes  cured  tlio  tooth-aclie  by 
simply  stroking  the  cheek  ;  some  by  blowing  upon  tlie 
patient ;  others  by  a  magnet  held  to  the  tooth ;  and  it 
has  been  known  to  have  been  charmed  away  by  any 
authoritative  words;  as  ^presto — quick,  cluinge,  and 
begone'  Fumigation  has  been  resorted  to  by  means 
of  a  fire-shovel,  a  funnel,  and  a  bolus  of  wax,  in  which 
onion  or  some  narcotic  seed  is  mixed  up.  The  shovel 
at  length  burns  the  seed,  and  deprives  it  of  the  outer 
husk,  and  gives  it  the  appearance  of  a  small  maggot  or 
worm,  which  the  credulous  are  given  to  believe  came 
out  of  the  tooth,  and  was  the  original  cause  of  the 
pain,  which  is  now  fled ;  that  cause  having  evidently 
been  removed,  how  is  it  possible  the  ejfect  can  longer 
exist. 

When  a  patient  is  not  sufficiently  credulous  to  sub- 
mit to  this  sort  of  quackery,  recourse  may  be  had  to 
opiates.  A  small  bit  of  opium  may  be  thrust  into  the 
hollow  tooth;  or  a  piece  of  cotton  wool  soaked  in 
laudanum  and  applied  frequently,  allays  the  pain ;  or  a 
quarter  of  a  grain  of  the  extract  of  belladonna,  made  into 
a  pill,  and  suffered  to  dissolve  on  the  affected  tooth,  is 
frequently  attended  with  more  permanent  benefit ;  cam- 
phor dissolved  in  oil  of  turpentine,  is  also  a  favorite 
remed}'',  viz. 

Take  Camphor     ....       2  drachms 
Spirits  of  turpentine     .       1  ounce. 
Let  it  dissolve,  and  apply,  by  means  of  cotton  wool,  as 
above  directed. 


120  THE   TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 

Cajeput  oil  is  another  valuable  remedy  for  allaying 
the  pain.  The  most  effectual  remedy  is  to  destroy  the 
sensibility  of  the  nerve  by  putting  the  tip  of  a  red-hot 
wire  into  the  hollow  tooth. 

Pain  in  any  other  part  of  the  body,  on  the  principle  of 
derivation,  eases  the  tooth-ache.  Hot  water,  tobacco- 
smoke,  or  brandy,  held  in  the  mouth,  frequently  relieves 
the  pain  ;  or,  what  is  still  better, — 

Take  pillitory  of  Spain,  powdered,  one  drachm,  with 
a  sufficient  quantity  of  the  mucilage  of  gum  arable. — 
Make  a  mass,  and  divide  it  into  twelve  equal  parts ; 
take  one  into  the  mouth,  and  let  it  dissolve  on  the 
affected  tooth  as  often  as  occasion  may  require. 

If  an  external  application  be  preferred,  the  following 
ointment  may  be  rubbed  on  the  jaw  : — 

Take  Spirits  of  camphor       ...       1  ounce 
Liquid  ammonia       ....    3  drachms 
Bergamotte  .       .       .       .10  drops 

Mix  them  in  a  phial  for  use. 

If  the  gums  be  spongy  and  tender,  and  apt  to  bleed, 
tinctures  of  myrrh  and  Peruvian  bark,  equal  parts,  may 
be  occasionally  applied,  somewhat  diluted ;  or  any  of  the 
preceding  recipes  laid  down  for  the  same  purpose. 

A  blister  applied  behind  the  ear,  or  burning  the  lap 
of  the  ear  with  a  cloth  dipped  in  boiling  water,  will 
oflen  remove  the  pain  entirely.  Some  cooling  aperient, 
as  Epsom  salts,  greatly  assist,  at  all  times,  violent  par- 
oxysms of  the  tooth-ache. 

The  return   of  the  pain,  when  the  nerve  is  not  de- 


BEAUTY,  AND  FASHI05.  121 

stroyed,  is  best  prevented  by  stuffing  the  hollow  of  tlie 
teeth  with  melted  sealing-wax,  or  with  some  metal,  as 
silver,  gold  or  even  lead.  This  is  best  done  by  a  pro- 
fessed dentist.  It  has  lately  been  proposed,  and  it  is 
worth  the  trial,  to  fill  the  hollow  tooth  with  some  of  the 
water-proof  cements,  used  by  stone  masons,  which  are 
known  to  harden  under  water.  The  cement  should  be 
put  into  the  hollow  in  the  form  of  a  soft  paste,  and  when 
it  becomes  hard  no  moisture  will  ever  dissolve  it. 

A  French  writer  (M.  Rostan)  in  his  comparison 
between  the  nourishment  of  feathers  and  that  of  the 
teeth,  says,  that  fumigation  with  rosemary,  sage,  roses, 
mastic,  paper,  warm  water,  coffee,  and  particularly 
wasps'  nests,  relieves  the  tooth-ache,  and  even  cures  it 
for  a  considerable  time.  According  to  Willis,  it  is 
sufficient  to  hold  in  the  mouth  a  decoction  of  deal 
shavings,  which  probably  act  by  virtue  of  the  resinous 
parts  they  contain. 

Numerous  experiments  have  extolled  the  use  of  dis- 
tilled lavender-water  :  a  few  drops,  in  water,  as  defend- 
ing those  w^ho  adopt  it,  as  a  mouth-wash,  from  tooth- 
ache and  swellings  of  the  guoM,  that  is,  what  is  usually 
termed  gum -biles.  This  simple  mixture  possesses  the 
property  of  dissolving  the  serosities  of  the  gums  and 
salivary  glands.  Another,  and  very  simple  process  to 
preserve  the  teeth  and  prevent  them  from  aching,  is, 
every  morning,  on  getting  out  of  bed,  to  wipe  away, 
with  a  clean  dry  cloth,  the  moisture  which  is  very  com- 

monlv  found  behind  the  ears  on  waking. 
12 


122  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 

There  have,  in  fine,  been  many  instances  of  the  cure 
of  tooth-ache  which  would  appear  to  overthrow  the 
best-estabhshed  theories,  were  it  not  known,  that  tooth- 
ache proceeds  from  causes  which  are  often  extremely 
different.  It  is  generally  agreed  by  physicians,  and 
indeed  by  every  one,  that  cold  is  the  most  predominant 
cause,  and  yet  it  is  known  that  the  application  of  snow 
has  caused  the  most  excruciating  pain  of  the  teeth  to 
subside.  Mere  accident  suggested  snow  to  a  soldier 
who  suffered  severely  from  the  tooth-ache ;  and  it  has 
been  tried  with  invariable  success.  A  leaf  of  the  black 
horehound  chewed,  and  the  saliva  worked  among  the 
teeth,  has  been  found  to  fasten  them  when  they  were 
loose  ;  and  there  are  instances  on  record,  by  which  tooth- 
ache and  deafness  have  been  cured  by  dancing  ;  hence  the 
most  simple,  and  frequently  by  unlooked  for,  and  purely 
accidental  remedies,  relief  has  been  obtained  in  various 
complaints,  which  hitherto  had  baffled  the  whole  Mate- 
ria Medica. 


BEAUTY,    AND    FASION.  123 


CHAPTER  XVm. 

THE  EARS. 

The  whole  toilette  of  the  ear  consists  in  paying  prop- 
er attention  to  cleanliness.  Externally  the  concha  or 
external  cavities  ought  to  be  weished  and  carefully 
dried.  We  have  already  observed,  that  many  persons 
prevent  the  tooth-ache  by  attention  to  the  ears.  Inter- 
nally it  is  necessary  to  remove  the  cerumen  when  too 
copious.  This  must  not  be  done  too  indiscriminately 
or  too  completely,  for  it  is  the  wax  of  the  internal  ear 
which  lubricates  the  pas|giges  for  the  admission  of 
sounds.  In  the  production  of  this  secretion,  nature 
had  this  useful  object  in  view,  and  excessive  cleanliness 
in  the  passages  of  the  internal  ear  would  be  hostile  to 
her  intentions. 

Indurated  wax  in  the  inte^al  car  is  often  a  cause  of 
deafness.  When  this  is  the  case,  soap-suds  may  be 
injected  by  means  of  a  delicate  syringe ;  and  a  little 
bullock's  gall,  to  which  a  few  drops  of  the  balsam  of 
Tolu  may  be  added,  will  remove  the  cause. 

It  would,  perhaps,  be  a  difficult  task  to  define  what 
ought  to  constitute  a  handsome  ear  ;  though  unques- 
tionably   there   is  a  beauty    peculiar   to   this   structure 


124  THE    TOILETTE    OF  HEALTH, 

equally  rare,  perhaps,  and  of  equal  importance  with 
that  of  the  other  parts  of  the  body.  Such,  at  least, 
was  the  opinion  of  that  celebrated  painter  Annibale 
Carracci.  At  all  events,  a  just  medium  and  proportion 
must  always  arrive  nearer  the  point  of  perfection  than 
extremes  ;  consequently  it  may  be  concluded,  that  the 
ear  ought  to  be  neither  too  high  nor  too  low,  nor  project 
too  far.  These  are  defects  injurious  to  symmetry,  the 
soul  of  beauty ;  and  they  destroy  regularity  of  the  oval 
of  the  forehead. 

A  handsome  ear  ought  not  to  be  either  too  large 
or  too  small ;  too  muscular  or  too  cartilaginous ;  too 
crisped  or  to  flat;  too  red  or  too  pale.  All  these  and 
other  extremes,  are  indicatives  of  certain  physical  or 
moral  imperfections,  of  which  it  is  neither  our  province 
nor  intention  to  treat. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

§ 

EYES  AND  NOSE. 


Fine  eyes  and  handsome  noses  are  constant  themes 
with  the  votaries  of  beauty  and  fashion.  On  this  sub- 
ject we  shall  set  ourselves  up  as  the  arbiter  elegan 
tiarum.  Each  have  their  respective  admirers.  The 
nose  and    forehead    ought,    it  is   said,   to   be   of  equal 


BEALTV,  AND  FASHION.  125 

length,  and  from  the  nose  to  the  chin  another  length,  to 
constitute  what  ia  called  a  well-proportioned  face. 

The  majority  of  observers  have  remarked  that  nothing 
is  more  rare  than  a  perfectly  handsome  nose,  the  prin- 
cipal characters  of  which  are  described  as  follows  by 
Lavater  :■ — 

••  The  length  ought  to  be  equal  to  that  of  the  fore- 
head, where  it  ought  to  have  a  slight  cavity  at  the  root. 
When  seen  in  front,  the  ridge  should  be  rather  broad, 
and  broader  in  the  middle  than  any  where  else.  The 
end  should  bAteither  hard  nor  muscular,  and  the  lower 
contour  neithCT^oo  pointed  nor  too  broad.  In  front  the 
al<By  or  sides  of  the  nose  should  distinctly  appear,  and 
the  nostrils  be  shortened  in  a  pleasing  manner  below. 
In  the  profile,  the  lower  side  of  the  triangle  should  not 
exceed  one  third  of  the  length.  The  nostrils  ought  to 
end  more  or  less  in  a  poiim^nd  to  be  gracefully  incur- 
vated.  At  the  top  the  nose  must  nearly  join  the  arch 
of  the  orbit  of  the  eye.  A  nose  with  this  conforma- 
tion always  announces  an  excellent  and  distinguished 
character."  The  testimony  of  this  eminent  physiogno- 
mist, strengthens  the  testi]||pny  we  have  invariably 
maintained  respecting  the  connexion  existing  between 
physical  beauty  and  moral  excellence. 

The  e3'es  are  subject  to  numberless  complaints,  for 
which  it  is  prudent,  if  they  assume  a  threatening 
appearance,  to  apply  to  some  skilful  practitioner  in 
medicine. 

Blearedness    spoils   the   beautv   of  the    fairest    eves, 
12^ 


126  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH. 

When  it  is  of  recent  origin,  it  is  sufficient  to  wash  the 
eyes  with  fennel  or  eye-bright  water,  with  wine,  or 
water  mixed  with  a  little  brandy. 

The  secretions  of  the  eyes  and  nose  ought  to  be  par- 
ticularly attended  to,  as  liable,  if  not  removed,  to  corrode, 
and  render  imperfect  the  functions  they  have  to  perform 
in  the  animal  economy. 

Cooling  Coolyrium. 

Take  distilled  water 7  ounces 

Solution  of  the  acetate  of  lead  fljiirops. 
Mix.  The  strength  of  this  application  must  be  mo- 
dified according  to  the  irritability  of  the  inflamed  eye, 
by  diminishing  or  adding  to  the  quantity  of  the  solu- 
tion ;  and  previous  to  its  use,  the  fermentation  of  poppy 
heads  directed  for  inflamed  eyes,  will  be  of  the  greatest 
advantage.  It  forms  a  x^t^  good  cooling  astringent 
eye-wash. 

Another. 

Take  Rose  water     .     .     .     .     C  ounces 
Acetate  of  leswi  ...     20  grains. 
Mix.      This   is   also   a   cooling   and   mildly    astringent 
application. 

Another. 

Take  sulphate  of  zinc     .     .     ^  drachm 
Distilled  water      .     .     1  pint. 
All  these,   indeed,  are    very  suitable   applications  to 


BEAUTY,    AND    FASHI05.  127 

weak  inflamed  eyes,  or  where  there  exists  a  tendency  to 
a  preternatural  secretion  of  tears.  They  may  be  ad- 
vantageously used  in  mild  cases  with  safety,  or  until 
professional  advice  be  procured,  if  necessary. 

For  Watery  and  Inflamed  Eyes. 

Foment  frequently  with  decoction  of  poppy  heads ; 
when  the  irritation  and  inflammation  occur,  a  tea  spoon- 
ful of  cogniac  brandy,  in  four  ounces  of  spring  water, 
may  be  used  three  or  four  times  in  the  course  of  the 
day  as  a  strengthening  lotion. 

Poultice  for  Moist  Eyes. 

Take  half  a  pint  of  alum  arid,  and  mix  with  it  a 
sufficient  quantity  of  powdered  red  rose  leaves  to  give 
it  a  proper  consistence.  ||^^ 

Applied  over  the  eye^Bpsveen  gauze,  it  is  an  excel- 
lent gently  astringent  lotion  for  watery  and  weak  eyes, 
and  admirably  cools  and  represses  defluxions. 

A  little  of  the  juice  of  rue,  mixed  with  clarified 
honey,  dropped  now  and  then  into  the  eyes,  is  used  with 
the  same  intention. 


128  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 


CHAPTER  XX. 

EYE-BROWS, 

The  eye-brows  are  a  part  of  the  face  comparatively 
but  little  noticed,  though  in  disclosing  the  real  senti- 
ments of  the  mind  scarcely  any  other  feature  of  the 
face  can  come  in  competition.  In  vatej^he  most  pru' 
dent  female  imposes  silence  on  her  tongtie — in  vain  she 
contrives  to  compose  her  face  and  her  eyes — a  single 
movement  of  the  eye-brows  instantly  discloses  what  is 
passing  in  her  soul.  Placed  upon  a  skin  and  attached 
to  muscles  which  move  theaM|ftevery  direction,  the  eye- 
brows are  obedient,  in  conH^ence  of  their  extreme  mo- 
bility, to  the  slightest  internal  impulses.  There  majesty, 
pride,  vanity,  severity,  kindness,  the  dull  and  gloomy 
passions,  and  the  passions  soft  and  gay,  are  alternately 
depicted.  But  it  would  seem  that  the  eye-brows  have  a 
still  stronger  expression  in  women  than  in  men  ;  as  they 
are  more  easily  moved,  so  in  them  the  signs  of  internal 
emotions  cannot  but  manifest  themselves  more  speedily, 
"The  eye-brows  alone,"  says  Lavater,  the  prince  of 
physiognomists,  "  often  give  the  positive  expression  of 
the  character."  "  Part  of  the  soul,"  says  Pliny  the 
Elder,  '•  resides  in  the  eye-brows,  which  move  at  the 
command  of  the  will."     Le  Brun.  in  his  treatise  on  the 


BEAUTY,    AND    FASHION.  129 

Passions,  says '•  that  tlie  eye-brows  are  the  least  enui- 
voc^.  interpreters  of  the  emotions  of  the  heart,  and  of 
tlie  affections  of  the  soul  :"  and  Pernettc  observes, 
that  "  one  of  the  parts  of  the  face,  which  ought  to  be 
considered  as  one  of  the  safest  interpreters  of  the  senti- 
ments is  the  eje-brows." 

A  perfect  vocabulary  might,  indeed,  be  composed  of 
the  language  of  the  eye-brows,  though  this  would  be 
leading  us  too  far  out  of  our  direct  road.  We  shall 
merely  add  the  following  word  of  advice  to  the  fair  sex 
— "  Ladies,  boBare  of  your  eye-brows ;  use  them  dis- 
creetly, since  very  frequently  they  are  either  treacher- 
ous or  imprudent."' 

The  function  of  the  eye-brows  is  to  diminish  the 
effect  of  too  strong  a  light;  and  physiologists  have  re- 
marked that  the  darker  ^^  color  the  better  they  fulfil 
this  office.  It  has  beei^^ifo  observed,  that  they  are 
thicker  in  people  of  a  dark  complexion,  and  more 
scanty  in  those  of  a  light  one.  The  principal  beauty  of 
the  eye-brows  consists  in  being  arched,  and  sufficiently 
furnished  \vith  brilliant  hair,  extremely  dark  and  fine. 
They  are  likewise  required  to  be  separated  from  one 
another,  but  the  ancients,  on  the  contrary,  were  de- 
sirous to  have  tliem  joined.  This  taste  is  so  different 
from  ours,  that  we  should  scarcely  credit  the  fact,  were 
it  not  attested  by  various  authors.  Ovid  affirms  that 
the  Roman  ladies  painted  the  interval  between  the  eye- 
brows, that  they  might  appear  to  form  but  one.  Ana- 
creon  extols  the  beauty  of  tlic  conjoined  eye-brows  of 


130  THE    TOILETTE    OK    HEALTH, 

his  mistress,  and  the  testimony  of  Theocritus  and  Pe- 
tronius  might  be  introduced  on  the  same  subject.  The 
same  taste  prevailed  among  the  Arabs.  What  the  an- 
cients considered  a  beauty  would,  at  the  present  day,  be 
looked  upon  as  a  deformity. 

Eye-brows  which  are  too  close  together  give  the  coun- 
tenance a  sullen  and  morose  appearance  :  our  modern 
belles  accordingly  take  the  greatest  pains  to  destroy  the 
hair  at  the  top  of  the  nose  ;  whereas  the  Roman  ladies 
strove  to  imitate  it,  by  art,  when  it  had  been  refused  by 
nature.  Thus  the  natives  of  Nicobar  Islands,  without 
taking  the  trouble  to  discuss  the  merifP^^the  question 
at  issue  between  the  Roman  ladies  and  ours,  relative  to 
conjoined  or  separate  eye-brows,  settle  the  difficulty 
by  pulling  theirs  up  by  the  roots,  and  going  wit^iout — 
which,  no  doubt,  with  thejj^is  considered  an  equal 
mark  of  beauty. 


m 


CHAPTER   XXI. 


EYE-LASHES. 


Circassian  method  of  procuring  Jinc  Eye-lashes. 

It  is    unnecessary    to  dwell  on  the  beauty  of  long, 

silken,  glossy  eye-lashes,  which  have  so  often  been  the 

theme  both   of   lovers   arid   poets.      Lord  Byron,  who 

possessed  all  the  fine  tact  of  an   Oriental  lover,  with  all 


BEAUTY,  AND  FASHION,  131 

the  deep  and  enthusiastic  feeUng  of  a  poet,  has  often 
hung  some  of  his  richest  gems  on  a  beautiful  eye-lash. 
One  example  of  this  kind  shall  suffice  : 
As  a  stream  late  conceal'd 

By  the  fringe  of  its  willows, 
KoMphes  reveal'd 

l^y^  light  of  its  billows  } 
As  the  ball  bursts  on  high 

From  the  black  cloud  that  bound  it, 
Flash'd  the  soul  of  that  eye 
From  the  Long  Lashks  round  it. 

#  Bride  of  Abydos. 

o  less  strange  than  true,  however,  that  Europe- 
an beauties  are  quite  inattentive  to  the  growth  of  their 
eye-lashes ;  though  in  Circassia,  Georgia,  Persia,  and 
Hindustan,  it  is  one  of  the  first  objects  of  a  mother's  care 
to  promote  the  growth  of  her  children's  eye-lashes.  If 
hair  be  left  to  itself,  it  seldom  grows  long;  but  either 
splits  at  the  top  into  two  or  more  forks,  or  becomes 
smaller  and  smaller  till  it  end  in  a  fine  gossamer  point. 
When  it  does  so,  it  never  grows  any  longer,  but  remains 
stationary.  The  Circassian  method  of  treating  the  eye- 
lashes is  founded  on  this  principle.  The  careful  mother 
removes,  with  a  pair  of  scissors,  the  forked  and 
gossamer-like  points  (not  more)  of  the  eye-lashes, 
and  every  time  this  is  done  their  growth  is  renew- 
ed, and  they  become  long,  close,  finely  curved,  and 
of  a  silky  gloss.  This  operation  of  tipping  may  be 
repeated  every  month  or  six  weeks.  The  eye-lashes 
of   infants   and    children    are   best    tipped    when  they 


132  THE   TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 

are  asleep.  Ladies  may,  with  a  little  care,  do  the  ofRce 
for  themselves. — This  secret  must  be  invaluable  to  JJaose 
whose  eye-lashes  have  been  thinned  and  dwarfed,  as 
often  happens  from  inflammation  of  the  eyes. 

The  growth  of  the  eye-lashes  has  been  promoted, 
where  they  have  been  lost  from  sore  ejemb^  the  follow- 
ing simple  ointment : —  ^jj^ 

Take  ointment  of  nitric  oxyde  of  mercury,  2  drachms 

Hogs'  lard  ....  1  drachm, 

Incorporate  the  ointment  well  with  the  lard,  and  anoint 

the  edges  of  the  eye-lids  night  and  morning ;  washing 

after  each  time  with  milk  and  water,  w^apn.  ^fek 

To  blacken  the  Eye-lashes  and  Eye-brows. 

The  simplest  preparations  for  this  purpose  ar^  the 
juice  of  elder-berries ;  burnt  cork,  or  cloves  burnt  at 
the  candle.  Some  employ  the  black  of  frankincense, 
resin,  and  mastic  :  this  black,  it  is  said,  will  not  come 
oif  with  perspiration. 

Wash  to  Blacken  the  Eye-brows. 

Wash  the  eye-brows  previously  with  the  decoction  of 
galls,  then  rub  them  with  a  brush  dipped  in  the  solution 
of  green  vitriol,  and  let  them  dry.  A  little  gum  may  be 
added  to  the  last. 

Black  composition  for  the  same. 

Take  an  ounce  of  pitch,  the  same  quantity  of  resin, 
and  frankincense,  and  half  an  ounce  of  mastic.     Throw 


BEAUTY,    AND     FASHION".  133 

them  upon  liv^harcoal ,  over  which  lay  a  plate  to  re- 
ceii^the  smoHr  A  black  soot  will  adhere  to  the  plate  ; 
witlTthis  soot  impregnate  the  eye-lashes  and  eye-brows, 
by  rubbing  them  with  it  very  delicately.  This  opera- 
tion, if  occasionally  repeated,  will  preserve  them  per- 
fectly black^j^k 

Obs. — The  above  composition  may  be  perfumed  with 
a  little  of  the  oil  of  Benjamin,  eau  de  Cologne,  or  a 
little  of  the  juice  of  elder-berries,  and  it  is  fit  for  being 
applied  to  the  eye-brows  or  eye-lashes. 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

BEAUTY  OF  THE  EYES  .AJXD  EYE-BROWS. 

Except  among  the  ancient  Romans  and  the  modem 
Chinese,  large  eyes  have  always  been  esteemed  essen- 
tial to  beauty.  By  this  test  alone  we  can  distinguish 
whether  an  antique  statue  of  Venus  or  Juno  be  Roman 
or  Grecian,  as  the  classic  Greeks  had  more  taste  than 
to  represent  a  goddess  with  small,  peering,  miserly  eyes. 
Homer,  indeed,  seldom  mentions  Juno  without  compar- 
ing her  eyes  to  those  of  the  eagle.  The  Oriental 
poets  draw  a  more  elegant  simile  from  the  large-eyed 
antelope  or  gazelle  ;  which  has  not  escaped  Lord  Byron 

Her  eyes'  dark  charm  't  were  vain  to  tell, 
But  gaze  on  that  of  the  gazelle, 
It  will  assist  thy  fancy  well.    Giaour. 
13 


134  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 

The  brilliancy  of  the  eye  and  its  appearance  of  ful- 
ness, depend,  of  course,  in  sonie  degree,  to  its  fornijjand 
on  the  magnitude  of  the  eye-ball ;  but  still  more  on  the 
closeness  and  amplitude  of  the  eye-lashes,  and  the  diam- 
eter of  the  pupil.  It  is  the  eye-lashes  only  over  which 
we  possess  the  greatest  power,  as  we  cau|||^g  them  to 
the  highest  perfection  of  gloss  and  thickness,  by  the 
Circassian  method,  which  will  be  detailed  in  the  suc- 
ceeding chapter.  This  is  not  all :  the  Oriental  beauties, 
from  time  immemorial,  have  practised  the  art  of  darken- 
ing the  eye-lashes  with  antimony,  which  is  put  both  on 
the  hairs,  and  on  the  skin  at  their  roots,  while  a  sfl^ll 
streak  of  it  is  often  extended  outwards  from  the  exterior 
angle  of  each  eye.  This  has  a  very  imposing  effect 
when  artfully  performed ;  and  we  have  seen  European 
ladies,  who  had  visited  the  East,  employ  the  same 
method  to  give  a  lustre  and  beauty  to  their  eyes,  alto- 
gether inconceivable,  making  even  the  plainest  little 
grey  eyes  appear  full-orbed  and  piercingly  dark. 

A  large  pupil,  though  certainly  one  of  the  choicest 
marks  of  beauty,  is  no  less  a  sure  token  of  a  weak,  and 
in  all  probability  a  scrofulous,  if  not  a  consumptive 
constitution — so  much  so,  that  whatever  tends  to  render 
the  body  delicate,  will  seldom  fail  to  dilate  and  enlarge 
the  pupil,  and  make  the  eyes  beautifully  languid.  We 
cannot,  however,  with  safety  recommend  any  practical 
method  of  enlarging  the  pupils  of  the  eyes  on  this  prin- 
ciple ;  though  it  is  well  known  there  are  various  vege- 
table substances  which  possess  this  property,  and  which 


BKAUTV,    AND    FASHION.  135 

are  not  uiifrcquently  used  by  oculists  in  order  to  exam- 
ine the  deeper  seated  parts  of  the  eye. 

BLACK   EYES. 

The  Greeks  and  Romans,  as  ab-eady  remarked,  enter- 
tained very  different  sentiments  of  beauty.  The  former 
were  fond  of  eye-brows  wide  asunder,  and  a  well-pro- 
portioned forehead.  The  latter  preferred  eye-brows 
that  met,  and  a  little  forehead.  The  Romans  preferred 
eyes  of  moderate  size,  the  Greeks  wished  to  have  them 
large.  The  colors  of  the  eyes,  like  that  of  the  hair, 
have  no  less  their  different  advocates.  The  ancients 
preferred  black  eyes,  and  the  modern  Greeks  still  have 
such  a  predilection  for  the  same  color,  that,  as  we  are 
informed  by  M.  Guys,  in  his  Letters  on  Greece,  the 
very  men  frequently  take  their  names  from  that  circum- 
stance. He  says  that  he  knew  several  who  were  called 
macromate,  which  in  the  vulgar  language  signifies  Mack 
eyed.  The  opinions  of  certain  nations  ought  not,  how- 
ever, to  induce  us  to  give  the  absolute  preference  to 
black  eyes,  and  to  adjudge  to  them  exclusively  the 
prize  of  beauty.  Every  one  so  far,  ought  to  be  allowed 
to  be  the  arbiter  of  his  own  taste,  let  us  not  then  give 
implicit  credit  to  the  assertions  of  the  Greeks,  when 
they  tell  us  that  black  eyes  are  the  most  beautiful ; 
since  it  is  well  known  that  hazel,  andj-large  blue  eyes, 
have  their  admirers  wherever  taste  and  elegance  are  to 
be  found.  The  color  alone,  however,  does  not  con- 
tribute to  the  beauty  of  the  eye,  it  depends  still  more 


136  THE    TOILETTE     OF    HEALTH, 

on  the  form.  If  the  eye.  for  instance,  be  too  large,  too 
small,  too  prominent,  it  is  equally  distant  from  perfec- 
tion.* 


BLUE    EYES. 

Beer,  an  eminent  German  physician  and  oculist,  says 
that  blue  eyes  are  capable  of  supporting  a  much 
longer  and  more  violent  tension  than  black  ones.  The 
strength  and  duration  of  the  sight  depend  on  the  dif- 
ferent color  of  the  eyes,  and  even  that  depends  on  a 
greater  or  less  degree  of  clearness  of  the  pupil,  as  the 


*  It  is  a  prejudice  very  generally  received,  that  the  largest 
eyes  are  the  most  beautiful,  and  that  the  smallest  mouth  is 
the  most  perfect.  Perfection,  however,  does  not  lie  in  ex- 
tremes. The  Greek  artists,  when  they  represented  Pallas 
or  Juno,  made  the  orbit  of  the  eye  large  and  capacious  ;  but 
in  delineating  the  face  of  the  goddess  of  Love,  they  gave  her 
eyes  considerably  smaller.  A  large  eye  is  more  majestic, 
and  majesty  always  detracts  from  grace,  the  inseparable 
companion  of  beauty.  The  same  observation  applies  to  the 
mouth  :  when  too  large,  it  is  ugly,  when  too  small,  it  is  de- 
ficient in  expression.  In  women  who  have  an  extremely 
small  mouth,  there  is  seldom  observed  that  amiableness  of 
disposition  and  character,  which  is  so  frequently  found  in 
those  who  have  a  handsome  mouth  of  moderate  size.  It 
would  seem  that  too  small  a  mouth  indicates  a  weakness 
which  degenerates  into  affectation.  The  last-mentioned 
quality  seems  to  be  so  inseparably  attached  to  smallness  of 
the  mouth,  that  even  those  females  who  have  an  ordinary 
mouth,  when  they  are  going  to  be  affected,  always  begin  by 
contracting  that  part. 


BEAUTY,    AND     FASHION.  137 

defects  of  the  sight  depend  on  a  color  more  or  less  dark. 
Hence  it  results,  that  in  this  point  of  view,  blue  eyes  are 
infinitely  better  than  black.  The  former,  therefore,  pos- 
sess, in  a  more  eminent  degree  than  the  latter,  the  per- 
fections adapted  to  their  functions.  The  same  author 
has  also  remarked,  that  black  eyes  are  more  subject  to 
cataracts ;  and  he  also  observes,  that  out  of  twenty  per- 
sons with  black  eyes,  you  find  not  one  who  is  perfectly 
satisfied  with  them.  In  this  particular  then,  it  must  be 
admitted  that  blue  eyes  are  better  adapted  to  their  desti- 
nation than  black  ones. 

The  eyes  contribute  to  the  regularity  of  the  face  by 
their  respective  direction,  position,  and  distance  :  when 
loo  near  or  too  wide  apart,  the^  detract  from  the  beauty 
of  the  general  appearance  of  the  face. 


CHAPTER    XXIIL 

THE  HANDS  AND  NAILS. 

A  FINE  hand  in  male  or  female  is  always  pleasing ;  and 

next  to  the  charms  of  a  beautiful  face,  a  woman  has  an 

undoubted  right  to  be  proud  of  a  fine  delicately  tapered 

hand,  and  a  symmetrical   and  elegantly  rounded  arm. 

A  handsome  head  may  be  appended  to   a  very  ordinary 

bodv.  and  a   head  without  harmony  may  detract  from 
13^ 


138  THE    TOILETTE    OF  HEALTH, 

the  elegance  of  a  well-shapen  body ;.  but  a  fine  hand  and 
arm  scarcely  ever  accompany  any  other  than  a  perfect 
figure.  From  seeing  the  hand  and  arm,  a  criterion  may 
be  formed  of  the  rest  of  the  body. 

A  large,  coarse,  red,  bonj* ,  clumsy  hand ;  short,  thick, 
ill-shapen  fingers,  announce  mean  birth,  low  inclina- 
tions, neglected  education,  a  hard,  laborious  life.  Ou 
the  contrary,  a  hand  white  and  smooth,  diversified  with 
bluish  veins,  presenting  to  the  touch  the  softness  of 
satin,  and  to  the  eye  the  grateful  color  of  milk,  is  the 
ne  plus  ultra  of  beauty,  perfection,  and  attraction. 
What  care  then  ought  not  ladies  to  take  of  this  inesti- 
mable appendage,  which  declares  not  only  the  perfection 
of  beauty,  but  which  likewise  produces  so  favorable  an 
idea  of  the  rank  they  hold  in  society,  and  often  of  their 
physical  and  moral  accomplishments. 

The  care  requisite  to  preserve  the  complexion  of  the 
hands  and  arras  is  to  be  deduced  from  the  principles 
we  have  laid  down,  under  the  head  of  cosmetics,  &c.,  in 
treating  of  the  skin.  Too  great  cold,  or  too  great  heat, 
produces  roughness  and  wrinkles ;  consequently  water 
too  hot  or  too  cold  must  produce  these  effects ;  and  for 
the  same  reason  exposure  to  the  air  will  subject  them 
to  the  same  inconveniences,  especially  just  after  having 
been  washed. 

A  very  useful  precaution  is  to  wear  gloves  on  going 
abroad ;  and  leather  gloves  contribute  most  to  preserve 
the  delicacy  of  the  hands.  Dog-skin  gloves  keep  the 
skin  soft;  they  also  allay  itching,   and  correct  the  con- 


BEAUTY,   AND    FASHION.  139 

traction  of  the  hands.  There  are  women  who  benefi- 
cially apply  the  same  skin  to  the  bosom ;  which  they 
cover  with  pieces  at  night  to  keep  the  skin  soft  and 
elastic.  Medicine  has  also  availed  itself  of  the  assist- 
ance of  this  skin;  it  has  prescribed  stockings  made  of  it 
to  relieve  the  gout,  to  strengthen  the  legs,  and  to  pre- 
vent swelling. 

A  variety  of  soaps  are  composed  to  give  wliiteness 
and  suppleness  to  the  skin.  Every  perfumer  makes 
them  his  own  particular  way.  Among  these  are  soaps 
of  various  names,  as  seraglio  wash  balls,  musk  soaps, 
and  soaps  scented  with  every  perfume  of  the  East. 
These  are  more  easily  procured  than  made  for  private 
use. 

TO  IMPROVE   THE   SKIN. 

Take  two  ounces  of  Venice  soap,  and  dissolve  it  in 
two  ounces  of  lemon  juice.  Add  one  ounce  of  the  oil 
of  bitter  almonds,  and  a  like  quantity  of  the  oil  of  tartar. 
Mix  the  whole  and  stir  it  well  till  it  has  acquired  the 
consistence  of  soap ;  and  use  it  as  such  for  the  hands. 

The  paste  of  sweet  almonds,  which  contains  an  oil  fit 
for  keeping  the  skin  soft  and  elastic,  and  removing  in- 
durations, may  be  beneficially  applied  to  the  hands  and 
arms. 

Some  ladies  assert  that  oils  turn  the  hands  brown  ;  so 
much  at  least  is  certain,  that  oily  applications  do  not 
produce  the  same  good  effects  upon  all  females. 

An  excellent  paste  for  the  hands  is  made  of  horse- 


140 


HE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 


chestnuts ;  and  this  is  not  attended  with  any  inconveni- 
ence.    It  is  prepared  as  follows  : — 

Dry  some  horse-chestnuts  and  peel  them — pound  them 
in  a  covered  mortar,  and  sift  the  powder  through  a  fine 
sieve.  Put  a  suitable  quantity  of  this  powder  into  wa- 
ter, and  it  will  become  white,  sopanaceous,  and  as  soft 
as  milk.  Frequent  use  of  this  is  highly  salutary,  and 
contributes  greatly  to  the  lustre  and  whiteness  of  the 
skin,  to  whatever  part  of  the  body  it  may  be  applied. 

The  Italian  women  use  the  flower  of  maize,  or  Turkey 
corn,  and  every  one  who  has  seen  them,  knows  what 
fair  skins  they  have ;  and  Scotch  ladies  use  oatmeal  or 
cold  porridge,  which  is  little  if  at  all  inferior. 

Various  pomatums  and  ointments  are  used  for  the 
hands,  not  only  to  relieve  their  color,  but  to  prevent 
them  from  chapping,  and  curing  them  when  thus  afilict- 
ed  :  of  these  we  shall  now  speak. 

The  most  common  accidents  which  are  liable  to  inter- 
rupt the  health,  harmony,  and  appearance  of  the  hands 
are  chaps,  chilblains,  and  warts.  The  perspiration  of 
the  hands  is  also  at  times  very  troublesome,  especially 
to  such  as  are  employed  in  works  which  require  great 
cleanliess. 

CHAPS. 

This  affliction  usually  is  the  result  of  cold  to  the  skin, 
which,  though  not  so  serious  as  chilblains,  of  which  we 
shall  treat  hereafter,  is  very  detrimental  to  delicate 
hands.     The  very  thin  scurf  or  cuticle,  which  possesses 


BEAUTY,  AND  FASHION.  141 

no  more  feeling  than  the  hair  or  the  nails,  is  but  slightly 
united  to  the  thick  true  skin,  and  is  easily  detached. 
When  this  thin  scarfskin,  therefore,  is  shrivelled,  and 
consequently  raised  from  the  true  skin,  by  either  cold 
or  heat,  it  can  never  be  brought  to  unite  or  sit  close 
again ;  and  leaves  the  true  skin,  which  is  acutely 
sensible,  quite  bare,  raw,  and  sore;  and  this  soreness 
soon  causes  irritation  and  inflammation.  This  is  the 
true  history  of  chapping,  which  may  alike  occur  from 
summer's  heat  as  the  cold  of  winter  ;  and  it  for  the 
most  part  attacks  the  lips,  face,  hands,  or  any  other 
part  exposed  to  heat  or  cold.  Hence  the  hands  of 
washerwomen,  and  kitchen-maids,  and  the  feet  of  coun- 
try people's  children,  who  go  barefooted,  are  often  se- 
verely chapped,  or  as  it  is  also  termed,  hacked  or  gars- 
gar  ved. 

For  Chapped  Hands. 

Take  three  drachms  of  bole  ammoniac — three  drachms 
of  myrrh,  and  a  drachm  of  wliite  lead — incorporate 
these  with  a  sufficient  quantity  of  goose-grease ;  and 
with  this  anoint  the  parts  affected ;  and  wear  worsted 
gloves. 

Another. 

Take  Myrrh,  1  ounce  ;  Litharge,  1  drachm ;  Honey, 
4  ounces  ;  Wax,  yellow,  2  ounces ;  Oil  of  roses,  G  ounces. 
Mix  tlie  whole  in  one  well-blended  mass  for  use. 

Obs. — When  the  hands  are  chapped,  avoid  putting 
them  in  water. 


142  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 

Foi'  C%apped  Lips. 

Take  two  tea-spoonsful  of  clarified  honey,  and  a  few 
drops  of  distilled  lavender  water,  or  any  other  agreeable 
scent. 

Mix  them  together,  and  anoint  the  lips  frequently. 
If  the  hands  are  affected,  anoint  them  all  over  at  going 
to  bed,  wearing  gloves  during  the  night.  Wash  them 
next  morning  with  tepid  milk  and  water.  A  night  or 
two  will  effect  a  cure.* 

WARTS. 

These  unseemly  exuberances  may  not unfrequently  be 
removed  by  very  simple  means.  Touching  them  gently 
with  sulphuric  acid,  or  with  a  strong  solution  of  sal  am- 
moniac in  water,  or  touching  them  w^ith  lapis  infernalis 
(blue  stone)  will  remove  them,  if  the  milder  applications 
fail,  such  as  rubbing  them  w^ith  sprigs  of  purslain,  or 
w^ith  the  water  which  oozes  out  of  the  shells  of  snails  by 
means  of  a  little  perforation  expressly  made.  Some  cut 
radishes  in  slices,  place  them  between  two  pewter  plates 
with  some  salt,  and  stir  them  well  up  together.  These 
are  used  to  rub  the  warts  with.  Sea-salt  dissolved  in 
vinegar,  horse-radish  pounded  with  salt,  juice  of  mary- 
gold  leaves,  celandine,  dandelion,  wart- wort,  and  house- 
leek,  are  spoken  of;  also  agrimony  steeped  in  vinegar; 
these  may  all  have  their  advantages,  though  when  they 
fail,  the  first  mentioned  are  the  surest  means  of  remov- 

*  See  Lip-salves,  &c.  p.  86. 


BEAUTV,    AiND    FASHION.  143 

ing  these  superfluous  appendages  to  the  hands.  Equal 
parts  of  rhubarb  in  powder,  and  ipecacuanha,  form  a 
good  mild  escharotic  for  them,  also  the  powder  of  savine, 
having  previously  pared  away  the  decayed  or  callous 
part.  And  if  it  can  be  conveniently  done,  tie  a  smal 
silk  thread,  or  horse-hair  round  the  base  of  them,  and 
they  will  die  away  ;  or  where  the  neck  of  them  is  small, 
it  has  been  recommended  to  nip  them  off  with  a  pair  of 
sharp  scissors,  and  afterwards  touch  the  place  with  blue 
vitrol.  The  lunar  caustic  is  directed  to  be  applied  after 
paring  down  the  wart. — See  Corns. 

CHILBLAINS. 

Chilblains  generally  attack  the  hands  and  feet ;  but 
they  are  cured  by  the  same  means,  on  whatever  part 
they  may  appear.  Children  and  old  people,  or  those 
who  are  weak  and  delicate  at  any  age,  particularly  fe- 
males, are  most  subject  to  chilblains,  which  arise  from 
deficiency  of  vigor  in  the  fibres  of  the  feet,  the  hands, 
and  sometimes  even  the  nose,  ears,  and  lips,  at  those 
particular  seasons,  when 

The  parching  air 
Burns — and  cold  performs  the  effect  of  fire. 

Milton. 

Exposure  to  great  cold,  or  currents  of  cold  air,  will 
produce  chilblains  even  in  the  most  robust.  At  first 
they  appear  with  redness,  swelling,  a  sense  of  tingling, 
and  intolerable  itching,  which  is  increased  by  heat.     As 


144  THE     TOILETTE     OF     HEALTH, 

it  proceeds,  the  parts  assume  a  leaden  or  bluish  color,  and 
the  itching  is  excessively  painful.  Little  vesicles  arise 
and  burst,  and  leave  the  part  sore  and  ulcerated,  often 
eating  deep  into  the  flesh,  and  even  to  the  bone,  and  in 
this  stage  the  sores  or  kibs  are  extremely  obstinate  and 
difficult  to  cure,  and  mortification  may  follow. 

Those  who  would  prevent  chilblains  ought  never  to 
expose  themselves  suddenly  before  a  fire  after  having 
been  in  the  cold,  particularly  when  the  hands  and  feet 
are  suffering  under  the  latter  sensation ;  and  vice  versa, 
when  these  extremities  (the  hands  and  feet,)  are  hot,  or 
in  a  state  of  perspiration,  they  ought  never  to  be  sud- 
denly exposed  to  cold. 

A  cold  current  of  air  let  into  a  warm  room  by  the 
opening  of  a  door,  is,  with  delicate  females,  a  common 
cause  of  chilblains,  as  well  as  sitting  too  closely  by  the 
fire  in  cold  weather;  as  a  current  of  cold  air  is  always 
blowing  towards  the  fire,  even  when  the  doors  are  shut. 

Bathing  or  sponging  the  feet  with  cold  water  night 
and  morning ;  or  with  salt  dissolved  in  water,  rubbing 
them  a  short  time  after  with  a  coarsish  towel,  is  deemed 
an  excellent  preventative.  Also  wearing  dog-skin  socks. 
Those  who  wear  fleecy  hosiery,  as  stockings,  should 
interpose  an  oil -skin  sock :  we  allude  to  such  as  are 
more  pre-disposed  to  chilblains  than  others.  Carpet  or 
fur-skin  shoes  are  not  recommended. 

When  the  tingling  and  itching  are  first  felt  (a  sure 
sign  of  chilblains,)  the  parts,  hands  or  feet,  ought  to  be 
bathed   in   cold   water,   or   rubbed    with  snow,  till  the 


BEAUTY,  AND  FASHION.  145 

sensation  subsides  :  then  well  dried,  either  of  the  above 
defensatives  used;  or  the  following  preventive  embro- 
cation may  be  used,  though  the  first  method  is  unques- 
tionably the  best. 

Take  spirit  of  turpentine     1  ounce. 
Balsam  of  Copayva     1  ounce. 
Mix  them  together,  and  rub  the  afflicted  parts  two  or 
three  times  a  day  with  a  portion  of  it. 

Mr.  JVardrop's  Chilblain  Evibrocation. 

Take  tincture  of  cantharidos     2    drachms 
Soap  liniment     ...     1^  ounce 
Mix,  and  rub  the  affected  parts  therewith. 

Sir  A.   Cooper's  Chilblain  Liniment. 

Take  camphorated  spirit  of  wine     1  ounce. 
Liquor  of  subacetate  of  lead      ^  ounce. 
Mix,  and  rub  on  the  affected  parts. 

When  the  parts  break  and  ulcerate,  lint  dipped  in  lime- 
water  and  a  few  drops  of  the  solution  of  the  subacetate 
of  lead,  will  allay  the  pain;  and  although  preparations 
of  lead  are  not  recommended  to  abraded  surfaces,  in  this 
instance,  and  particularly  if  a  few  drops  of  laudanum  be 
added,  the  relief  experienced  is  beyond  all  belief. 

Take  lime  water 2  ounces 

Solution  of  subacetate  of  lead       20  drops 
Tincture  of  opium  ....        1^  drachm. 

The  parts  may  be  afterwards  dressed  with  tincture  of 

myrrh   or  tincture   of  benzoin,   if  the   surface    of   the 
14 


146  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH. 

wounds  be  clean :  otherwise  dress  with  the   following 

ointment ; 

Take  Ointment  of  yellow  resin     ....     1  ounce 

Ointment  of  nitric  oxyde  of  mercury     2  drachms. 
Mix,  and  apply  it,  either  on  lint  or  soft  linen. 

When  fungus  or  proud  flesh  arises,  the  place  may  then 
be  dressed  with  tincture  of  myrrh,  and  a  bandage  rather 
tightly  applied.  When  the  sore  is  foul  it  should  be  poul- 
ticed till  it  cleans,  and  then  the  ointment  or  tinctures 
used  as  dressing,  as  may  appear  requisite. 

It  has  been  asserted,  but  with  what  truth  we  know 
not,  that  chilblains  may  be  prevented  in  those  most 
disposed  to  them  in  winter,  by  rubbing  the  feet  and 
hands  with  strawberries  when  that  fruit  is  in  season  j 
or  by  washing  them  with  alum  water,  as  already  ob- 
served, at  the  beginning  of  winter.  Rubbing  the  parts 
as  soon  as  the  tingling  and  itching  are  felt,  as  recom- 
mended some  years  ago  by  Mr.  Forsyth,  in  his  valuable 
"Manual  of  Domestic  Medicine,"  with  spirits  of  tur- 
pentine, as  follows — 

Take  Spirits  of  turpentine,  2  ounces. 
Yolk  of  egg,  enough, 
Beat  up   the  egg  and  turpentine  together;    then  add, 
gradually,  and  keep  stirring — 

Infusion  of  oak  bark,  4  ounces. 
This   is  directed  to  be  used  cold,  morning  and  evening, 
after  the  tepid  bath,  when  chilblains  first  begin  to  be  felt 
— a  time  at  which  they  ought   more  particularly  not  to 
be  necrlected. 


BEAUTY,    AND    FASHION.  147 

Warm  spirits  of  rosemary,  or  spirits  of  camphor,  arc 
also  useful  at  this  time.  Those  who  are  most  liable  to 
chilblains,  should  on  the  approach  of  winter  cover  the 
parts  most  subject  to  be  affected,  with  woollen  gloves 
and  stockings,  and  not  expose  the  hands  and  feet  too 
precipitately  to  wet  or  cold ;  or  as  before  observed,  to  a 
considerable  degree  of  heat. 

Old  people  and  children  are  more  apt  to  be  troubled 
with  chilblains  than  those  of  the  middle  age  ;  and  those 
of  a  scrofulous  habit  are  observed  to  suffer  severely 
from  them. 

We  shall  now  turn  our  attention  to  the  nails,  the 
ornamental  appendages  of  the  fingers  and  hand. 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 


THE  NAILS 


A  WELL-GROWN  and  symmetrically  formed  nail  is  not 
without  its  beauty  ;  but,  like  the  hands,  according  to 
the  station  in  life,  they  are  subject  to  a  variety  of  vicis- 
situdes. 

The  shape  of  the  nails  depends  principally  on  the 
attention  bestowed  upon  them  in  the  act  of  cutting  or 
trimming  them.  If  they  be  kept  too  short,  the  nail 
becomes  gradually  detached  from  llie  linger,  and  growa 


148  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 

shorter  and  shorter,  till  at  length  it  becomes  entirely 
deformed.  With  those  who  have  contracted  the  dis- 
gusting habit  of  biting  their  nails,  this  happens  more 
particularly.  The  nails  ought  to  be  cut  down  no  lower 
than  the  top  of  the  finger,  in  an  uniform  circular  manner. 

The  root  of  the  nail  is  the  whitish  crescent  partly 
covered  with  skin.  Sometimes  the  nails  are  entirely 
covered  with  it ;  and  when  such  is  the  case,  this  ex- 
crescence, which  alters  the  form  of  the  nail,  and  makes 
it  appear  shorter,  must  be  removed  with  a  sharp  pen- 
knife. 

To  give  a  fine  color  to  the  nails,  the  hands  and 
fingers  must  be  well  lathered  and  washed  in  scented 
soap,  then  the  nails  rubbed  with  equal  parts  of  cin- 
nabar and  emery,  and  afterwards  with  oil  of  bitter 
almonds.  By  continuing  this  practice  for  a  few  days, 
the  nails  will  be  rendered  smooth  and  transparent. 
The  same  eflfects  may  be  produced  by  washing  the  nails 
with  white  horehound  water ;  then  rubbing  them  with 
Cyprus  powder,  and  afterwards  rubbing  them  a  second 
time  with  the  water  of  white  horehound.  When  the 
bad  color  of  the  nails  is  occasioned  by  some  internal 
vice,  the  cause  must  first  be  attacked.  In  jaundice,  for 
instance,  the  nails  take  on  a  yellow  color,  which  it 
would  be  in  vain  to  attempt  to  correct  by  external 
applications. 

There  are  sometimes  white  specks  seen  upon  the 
nails  called  gifts.  These  may  be  removed  by  the  fol- 
lowing preparation : 


BKAury, 


AND     FASHION.  149 


Melt  equal  parts  of  pitch  and  turpentine  in  a  small 
vessel :  add  to  it  vinegar  and  powdered  sulphur.  Apply 
this  mixture  to  the  nails,  and  the  spots  will  soon  disap- 
pear. Pitch  and  rayrrh  melted  together  may  be  used 
with  equal  success. 

The  nail  sometimes  turns  black  from  coagulated 
blood,  the  consequence  of  a  bruise.  It  may  be  removed 
by  paring  away  the  nail  a  little  at  the  place,  and  apply- 
ing to  it  any  kind  of  spirituous  liquor.  Nails  that  are 
bent  back  owe  this  deformity  to  excess  of  dryness,  or 
moisture,  or  flexibility  arising  thereform.  In  the  first 
case,  endeavors  must  be  made  to  restore  them  to  their 
proper  position  by  softening  them  with  unctuous  sub- 
stances, such  as  linseed  oil  or  goose-grease,  assisting 
the  action  of  these  applications  by  scraping  the  nail 
with  a  piece  of  glass.  If  the  defect  be  the  consequence 
of  too  great  a  degree  of  softness  or  flexibility,  the  nails 
may  be  hardened  by  the  following  composition  : — 

Take  Mastic  oil ^  ounce 

Muriate  of  soda     •     •     -     h  drachm 

Resin 2  scruples 

Alum 2  scruples. 

Mix  altogether  in  an  earthen  pipkin,  and  make  an  oint- 
ment of  them  with  a  little  bees  wax  ;  rub  it  on  the 
nails. 

Uneven  nails  may  be  smoothed  by  scraj)ing  them 
with  a  piece  of  glass,  and  afterwards  polishing  and 
rubbing  them  with  a  little  wax.     When   the  skin  is  too 

dry.    or  after  handling  coar.se  substances,    small    fibres 
14- 


150  THE    TOILETTK    or    HEALTH, 

rise  up  I'roui  the  root  of  the  nails,  these  should  never 
be  pulled  out,  but  invariably  snipped  off  with  sharp 
pointed  scissors.  It  is  necessary  sometimes  to  wash 
the  hands  v/ith  unctuous  pastes  (see  Hands)  in  order 
to  correct  the  state  of  the  skin.  The  nails  of  both 
fingers  and  toes  are  liable  to  drop  off  from  various 
causes,  such  as  intense  cold,  a  severe  wound  or  blow, 
and  other  causes.  In  order  to  promote  their  return, 
wax  and  j'^ellow  arsenic  mixed  together  have  most 
injudiciously,  nay,  ignorantly,  been  recommended. 
Others  direct  that,  in  addition  to  this  dangerous  pro- 
cess, the  finger  should  be  held  for  a  considerable  time 
in  a  decoction  of  frankincense  and  roots  of  reeds  in 
white  wine.  All  these  are  superfluous,  the  nails  will 
regenerate  without  any  external  application  further 
than  protecting  them  by  means  of  a  piece  of  soft  rag 
and  a  finger-stall  from  the  action  of  the  air. 

The  greatest  enemy  to  the  nails,  though  comparatively 
of  rare  occurrence,  is  whitlow,  which,  if  not  reduced 
by  proper  and  timely  attention,  destroys  the  root 
of  the  nail.  Prompt  surgical  assistance  in  such  cases 
is  requisite  to  prevent  the  sufferer  from  the  ultimate 
consequences. 

Oi3S. — The  beauty  of  the  nails  consists  in  having 
them  of  a  well-proportioned  size  and  length,  curved 
from  side  to  side,  transparent,  and  of  a  light  red  color  : 
their  surface  should  be  smootli  and  polished,  and  the 
roots  apparent. 


BKAUTY,  AND  FASHION.  151 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

THE  FEET  AND  TOES.  CORNS  AND  BUNIONS. 

A  WELL-PROPORTIONED  foot  and  leg  are  ornaments  of 
which  nature  is  by  no  means  too  profuse.  The  beauty 
of  the  feet  does  not,  as  generally  considered,  depend 
upon  their  smallness,  and  on  their  form :  they  must 
also  be  well  placed  ;  and  it  is  only  in  infancy  that  any 
remedy  can  be  applied  to  correct  their  mal-conformation. 

Shoes  too  narrow  or  too  short,  disfigure  and  destroy 
the  beauty  of  the  feet.  This  practice  is  the  principal 
cause  of  corns  and  bunions,  and  cannot  be  too  carefully 
avoided.  The  shoes  ought  to  be  of  the  size  of  the 
foot,  they  should  also  be  accommodated  to  the  degree 
of  motion  or  exercise,  and  to  the  nature  of  the  soil 
and  place,  in  whicli  they  are  to  be  worn.  A  shoe  that 
is  bigger  than  the-  foot  prevents  a  firm  step  ;  and  one 
which  is  too  narrow  occasions  pain  and  troublesome 
corns.  Many  volumes  have  been  written  on  the  art 
of  shoeing  that  noble  animal,  the  horse  ;  it  is  considered 
as  a  fundamental  rule  in  farriery,  that  the  shoe  must 
be  neither  smaller  nor  larger  than  the  hoof,  and  yet 
jieople  can  submit  to  squeeze  their  feet  into  a  narrower 
compass  than    is  intended  l>y  naluic. 


152  THE     TOILETTE     OE     HEALTH, 

The  constant  use  of  boots  contracts  the  size  of  the 
legs,  particularly  the  calves.  How  frequently  do  we 
smile  at  the  Chinese  and  Circassians,  who,  from  a 
tyrannical  custom,  compress  their  feet,  that  they  may 
remain  small  and  crippled.  Yet  these  feeble  Orientals 
proceed  more  rationally  in  this  practice,  than  their 
European  rivals.  They  begin  it  gradually,  and  from 
the  earliest  infancy.  We  do  not  think  of  contracting 
the  feet  of  our  children  till  they  have  almost  attained 
the  natural  size,  and  then  endeavor  to  counteract  the 
process  of  nature.  Were  the  feet  not  cased  up  as  they 
usually  are,  the  knees  would  be  more  flexible,  the  toes 
more  pliable,  more  useful  and  better  adapted  to  execute 
the  various  motions  of  the  feet.  The  numerous  nerves 
crossing  the  feet  in  every  direction,  plainly  evince  that 
nature  has  endowed  them  with  peculiar  powers,  of 
which  we  can  scarcely  form  an  adequate  conception. 
The  untutored  Indian,  or  the  wild  African,  excels  not 
only  the  enlightened  European,  but  likewise  the  lower 
animals,  in  running,  leaping,  and,  in  short,  in  swiftness 
and  agility  of  every  kind,  where  muscular  motion  is 
required.  Either  of  them  would  laugh  heartily  at  us, 
that  we  are  obliged  to  employ  professional  operators 
for  extracting  corns,  and  to  contrive  ointments  and 
plasters  for  the  cure  of  those  evils,  which  we  have 
wantonly  brought  on   ourselves. 

Nature  has  designed  the  toes  to  be  as  movable  as 
the  fingers.  Those  unfortunate  creatures  who  are  born 
without   hands,   learn    to   perform    with   the   toeb.    the 


BEAUTY,    AND     FASHION.  153 

most  astonishing  feats ;  to  write,  and  cut  pens,  to  sew, 
draw — in  short,  to  supply  ahnost  completely  the  want 
of  hands. 

Nearly  nine-tenths  of  mankind  arc  troubled  with 
corns ;  a  disease  that  is  seldom  or  never  occasioned  but 
by  straight  shoes  ;  and  it  may  be  added,  that  the  remain- 
ing tenth  part  do  not  envy  their  fellow-creatures  for 
this  modern  improvement.  The  shoes  formerly  worn, 
but  now  out  of  fashion,  showed  people's  good  sense, 
and  their  attention  to  health  and  comfort.  Those  who 
wear  small  and  short  shoes  are  and  ever  will  be  exposed 
to  many  disappointments  and  inconveniences,  by  being 
deprived  of  both  exercise  and  pleasure ;  independent 
of  predisposing  them  to  gout  and  rheumatism  and 
dropsy.  Many  people,  in  fine,  by  wearing  short  and 
cramped  shoes  have  been  deprived  of  the  use  of  their 
legs;  and  the  pain  of  the  more  virulent  species  of 
corns,  as  well  as  of  the  nails,  when  grown  into  the 
flesh,  from  the  same  cause,  is  most  excruciating. 

Among  the  inconveniences  attending  the  feet,  a 
most  disagreeable  one  is  constant,  profuse  perspira- 
tion, and'  more  so-  than  when  this  exudation  affects 
the  hands,  because  it  is  often  accompanied  with  an 
unpleasant  odor,  which  is  not  perceived  in  the  latter. 
It  would,  nevertheless,  be  extremely  dangerous  to  check 
this  foetid  perspiration  all  at  once  by  very  astringent 
baths,  though  it  may  be  gradually  diminished  and 
removed  by  proper  attention  to  cleanliness.  To  rem'^dy 
this,   the   feet  may  be  daily  washed   with   cold    water, 


154  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 

into  which  a  little  vinegar  may  be  put ;  the  stockings 
changed  every  day,  and  the  use  of  cotton  or  thread  ones, 
instead  of  those  made  of  worsted.  In  the  morning  the 
feet  may  be  well  rubbed  with  a  dry  cloth,  and  afterwards 
with  a  few   drops   of  brandy. 

Friction  on  the  soles  of  the  feet  is  very  advantageous  ; 
but  on  account  of  the  great  number  of  highly  sensible 
nerves  in  them,  such  practice  must  not  be  carried  to 
excess.  A  proper  degree  of  warmth  and  perspiration 
in  the  feet  is  always  a  favorable  symptom  of  health. 
Besides  they  should  be  often  bathed  in  cold,  or  which  is 
still  better,  in  lukewarm  water,  well  rubbed,  and  the 
nails  constantly  cut.  There  will  then  be  no  danger  of 
the  nails  growing'  into  the  flesh,  or  of  corns  or  other 
callocities  growing  on  the  feet. 

All  methods  of  extracting  corns  seem  but  to  afford 
temporary  relief,  and  never  will  be  attended  with  com- 
plete success  unless  attention  be  paid  to  the  shoes.  It 
is  very  dangerous  to  cut  corns  too  deep,  on  account  of 
the  multiplicity  of  nerves  running  in  every  direction 
of  the  toes.  Easy  shoes,  frequent  bathings  of  the  feet 
in  lukewarm  water,  vrith  a  little  salt  and  pot-ash  dis- 
solved in  it,  and  a  plaster  made  of  equal  parts  of  gum 
galbanum,  saffron,  and  camphor,  are  the  best  remedies 
that  can  be  recommended  against  this  troublesome 
complaint. 

Mr.  Lawrence,  surgeon  to  Bartholomew's  hospital, 
gives  the  following  directions  for  the  removal  of  corns., 
bunions,  and  warts. 


REAUTY,     AND     FASllIOK. 


'  If  you  cut  away  tlie  thickened  cuticlo,  and  llicn 
cover  tlie  part  over  with  soap  plaster  spread  on  leather, 
and  direct  the  patient  to  wear  large  and  soil  shoes, 
great  relief  will  be  experienced,  and  the  cuticle  will 
recover  its  natural  texture.  If,  however,  considerable 
inconvenience  be  still  experienced,  you  may  proceed  to 
a  further  measure  for  a  more  effectual  remedy  ;  that  is, 
after  shaving  away,  as  nearly  as  possible,  all  the  dead 
parts  that  are  about  the  surface,  rub  the  surface  (of  the 
corn,  bunion  or  wart)  over  with  lunar  caustic,  and  then, 
perhaps,  you  will  have  no  re-accumulation,  if  you 
avoid  external  and  exciting  causes  :  at  all  events,  this 
simple  process  will  afford  the  patient  a  very  great 
alleviation  of  his  sufferings.' 

The  bunion  is  produced  by  the  same  cause  as  the 
corn — the  irritation  of  which,  namely  pressure,  being 
extended  to  the  cellular  substance,  occasions  thickening 
of  it  with  effusion.  The  treatment  recommended  for 
corns  will  succeed  in  cases  of  bunions,  but  in  conse- 
quence of  the  greater  extension  of  the  disease  the  cure 
of  course  is  more  tedious. 

There  are  various  applications  directed  upon  equivo- 
cal, or  at  least  random  authority,  which  it  is  unneccssa. 
ry  to  notice  ;  we  have  laid  down  the  cause,  prevention, 
and  treatment  considered  by  the  faculty  as  the  most 
eligible,  consequently  the  most  safe  and  successful. 


156  THE   TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 


THE  SHAVING  TOILETTE. 


A  GOOD  razor  and  razor-strop  are  the  essential  requi- 
sites connected  with  the  apparatus  of  the  shaving 
toilette.  Warm  water  is  the  best  and  most  general 
menstruum  for  forming  a  lather.  Those  who  have 
hard,  thick  and  strong  beards  ought  to  wash  the  parts 
to  be  shaved  previously  with  hot  water  and  soap,  then 
lather  the  chin  afterwards ;  by  adopting  this  plan  they 
would   shave  much  better  and  easier. 

The  razor  ought  to  be  invariably  dipped  in  warm 
water,  and  well  dried,  and  even  passed  once  or  twice 
over  the  smooth  side  of  the  strop  after  it  has  been  used, 
and  put  carefully  away  in  a  dry  place.  It  will  then 
be  found  fit  for  use  on  the  next  occasion.  A  piece  of 
soft  linen  rag  is  the  best  thing  to  wipe  a  razor  with,  as 
well  as  on,  during  its  use ;  paper  is  apt  to  injure  the 
fine  edge   requisite  for  the  removal  of  the  beard. 

Some  use  cold  water  in  preference  to  warm.  Where 
the  beard  is  soft  it  may  be  immaterial,  though  warm 
water  is  preferable,  both  as  regards  the  operation  of  the 
razor  and  the  sensations  of  the  individual  being  shaved. 

Where  the  chin  is  tettery  or  scurfy,  or  there  are  scaly 


BEAUTV,    AND    FASHION.  157 

or  scorbutic  eruptions  on  the  site  of  the  beard,  they 
should  be  frequently  fomented  with  warm  water,  and 
the  following  lotion  often  applied  : — 

Lime  water 4   ounces 

Oxymuriate  of  quicksilver         1^  grains 

Rose  water 2  ounces. 

This  will  give  the  lime  water  a  3'ellow  color.  A  few 
doses  of  cooling  aperient  medicine  may  accompany 
the  use  of  it ;  and  until  the  chin  gets  well,  the  razor 
ought  to  be  laid  aside,  and  a  pair  of  sharp  scissors  used 
to  cut  the  beard  as  close  as  possible  without  injury  to 
the  skin. 

Chemistry  has  of  late  years  produced  many  marvel- 
lous effects  in  all  our  domestic  affairs,  and  is  certainly 
well  fitted,  when  it  becomes  further  diffused  among  the 
better  classes  of  people,  to  produce  many  more.  Some 
few  years  ago  it  might  have  been  considered  a  gross 
misdemeanor  for  a  man  of  science  to  inquire  into  the 
art  of  shaving,  or  to  have  suggested  any  thing  to  improve 
it  ;  but  now,  if  we  are  not  greatly  mistaken,  it  would 
immortalize  the  most  distinguished  philosopher  to 
make  any  useful  oi-  important  discovery  in  the  art,  or 
to  establish  it  on  scientific  principles.  Till  some  great, 
but  hitherto  unknown  article,  makes  better  advances, 
we  will  endeavor  in  the  mean  time  to  fill  up  the  chasm 
with  such  hints  and  improvements  which  have  either 
been  supplied  us,  or  have  occurred  svithin  our  experi- 
ence and  observation. 

The  first  thing  necessary  to  be  done,  in  order  to  ren- 
15 


158  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 

(ler  the  hair  of  the  beard  easy  to  be  cut,  is  to  make  it 
hard,  crisp,  and  brittle ;  for  you  may  as  well  think  of 
cutting  moist  paper  smoothly  with  a  pair  of  scissors,  as 
of  shaving  your  beard  while  the  hair  is  soft  and  oily. 
But  it  is  the  chemical  nature  of  all  hair  to  be  more 
or  less  oily,  as  oil  forms  one  of  its  main  ingredients, 
which  is  readily  seen  on  burning  it,  and  this  is  farther 
augmented  by  the  greasy  secretions  of  the  skin. 

Were  you 'to  shave  dry,  or  with  plain  water,  the 
razor,  in  consequence  of  what  has  been  stated,  would 
only  enter  it  about  half  way,  and  instead  of  cutting 
directly  through  it,  would  bend  the  hair  and  'slice  it  in 
the  length,  and  in  this  manner  dragging  it  outwards 
from  the  root,  would  cause  a  similar  pain  to  that  of 
pulling  off  the  skin.  When  the  razor  is  thus  employed 
in  shaving  and  pulling  two  or  three  hundred  hairs  at 
once,  the  operation  must  have  all  the  characters  of 
flaying  alive.  The  longer  the  beard  has  been  suffered 
to  grow,  the  longer,  of  course,  will  be  the  slice  of  the 
hair,  and  the  greater  the  pain.  In  fine,  it  is  upon 
this  principle  that  the  whole  science  of  easy  shaving  is 
founded. 

The  best  means  hitherto  discovered  for  rendering  the 
beard  crisp  and  brittle,  without  injury  to  the  skin,  is  the 
application  of  an  alkali,  which  combines  with  the  oil  of 
the  hair  and  leaves  only  its  hard  fibre.  Alkalies,  how- 
ever, in  order  to  be  fitted  for  shaving,  must  first  be 
combined  with  some  sort  of  oil,  such  as  olive,  as  they 
would  otherwise  be  too  strong  and  injure  the  skin. 


BEAUTir,    AND    FASHION.  159 

About  sixty  parts  of  soda,  sixty  of  olive  oil,  and  thirty 
of  water,  is  the  composition  of  the  best  Spanish  soap. 
Those  who  prefer  the  '  Essence  royale  pour  fair  la 
Bar  be,'  or, 

Shaving  Liquid, 

may  prepare  it  for  themselves,  200  per  cent,  cheaper 
than  they  can  buy  it,  by  dissolving  a  quantity  of  the 
best  Spanish  soap  in  spirits  of  wine,  or  any  common 
spirit,  when  the  liquid  will  be  formed,  of  a  fine  transpar- 
ency, and  of  a  somewhat  gelatinous  consistence. 

Transparent  Soaj). 

This  may  be  made  by  slowly  and  carefully  evaporating 
the  above  solution,  wliich  will  leave  a  beautiful  mass  of 
pure  soap.  It  is  not  indeed  so  cheap,  but  it  pleases  the 
fancy  of  some  better  than  articles  procured  at  less 
expense.  The  more  creamy  the  lather  is,  and  the  less 
watery  and  frothy,  the  better ;  as  in  that  state  the  alkali 
is  in  a  fitter  state  for  crisping  the  beard,  but  this  can 
only  be  done  with  very  hot  water. 

Hones  and  Razor  Strops. 

The  fineness  of  the  edge  of  a  razor  is  by  most  people 
injured  or  destroyed  by  the  use  of  bad  strops,  so  that 
they  can  never  shave  with  ease  or  comfort.  Tlie  hone, 
or  razor  stone,  ought  to  be  constantly  kept  moist  with 
oil.  Soap,  once  proposed  for  giving  a  fine  edge,  is  not 
Bo   good   as  seal  oil,  and    is   only  recommcndable  ai  a 


160  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 

substitute  in  the  absence  of  the  latter.  When  the  razor 
has  been  finely  honed,  the  finest  and  most  elastic  strop 
only  should  be  used.  An  excellent  substitute  fijr  a 
well-prepared  strop  is  the  hand,  moistened  with  its 
natural  oil. 

Accidents  from  SImving. 

A  clean  shave  is  a  great  luxury;  it  is  necessary  to 
health,  and  a  mark  of  cleanliness  which  ought  never  to 
be  found  wanting.  An  unshorn  chin  has  a  degenerat- 
ing aspect,  and  only,  if  at  all,  excusable  in  the  lowest 
laborer  and  mechanic  for  the  infrequency  of  its  remo- 
val. There  are  many  slight  and  apparently  trifling  dis- 
eases, which,  through  neglect  or  irritation  from  inat- 
tention, put  on  all  the  threatening  and  malignant  form 
of  cancer  or  mortification.  The  following  useful  remarks 
on  this  subject,  by  Mr.  Earle,  one  of  the  surgeons  of  St. 
Bartholomew's  hospital,  may  operate  as  a  caution  to 
others. 

A  patient  of  Mr.  Earle's  cut  himself  while  shaving, 
and  probably  he  had  divided,  obliquely,  some  of  the 
hairs,  near  the  roots,  which  continued  to  grow  ;  but 
not  finding  a  proper  passage  through  the  skin,  they 
coiled  up  beneath  it,  and  formed  several  very  painful 
pimples,  that  put  on  a  very  angry  and  ulcerated  appear- 
ance, and  unless  the  roots  of  the  hairs  had  been  care- 
fully extracted,  they  might  have  ended  in  a  fatal  cancer. 

Mr.  E.  observed  that  many  such  cases  arise  from  the 
irritation  of  shaving,  and  the  patients  usually  refer  to  a 


BEALTV,  AUD    FASHION.  ICl 

eligiit  cut,  a  scratcli,  from  a  blunt  or  foul  razor.  A 
wound  thus  made  is  irritated  and  aggravated  every 
time  the  patient  shaves ;  or,  if  not,  the  hair  being 
allowed  to  gfow,  gets  matted  together,  and  prevents 
the  application  of  proper  remedies.  The  hair,  conse- 
qu(  utly,  is  properly  directed  to  be  cut  close  by  means 
of  a  pair  of  very  delicate  scissors  ;  and  if  the  wound 
does  not  improve,  but  continues  foul  and  spreading, 
cut  out  all  the  disezised  part  with  the  knife,  or  burn  it 
out  with  caustic,  as  a  little  pain,  at  first,  is  better  than 
running  the  hazard  of  an  incurable  cancer.  The  older 
the  patient  the  greater  the  danger,  as  cancer  seldom 
attacks  the  young.  There  is  often  much  inconvenience 
and  no  little  danger,  from  cutting  or  scratching  a  mole 
or  wart,  as  well  as  from  the  injudicious  cutting  of  a 
corn,  particularly  with  people  advanced  in  years. 


15^ 


1C2  THE   TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

ABLUTION  BY  MEANS  OF  THE  BATH,  ETC.— THE  WARM 
BATH,  A  COSMETIC,  ETC, 

The  use  of  the  batli  was  general  among  the  Greeks 
and  among  the  Romans;  and  to  this  salutary  habit 
Baglivi  ascribes  the  long  and  vigorous  lives  of  the 
ancients.  If  we  compare  the  manner  of  living  of  the 
Romans  with  that  of  our  own  at  the  present  day,  it  will 
be  seen  how  much  nearer  theirs  approached  to  nature, 
and  how  much  more  favorable  it  was  to  health.  With 
the  Romans,  the  afternoon  was  entirely  devoted  to  cor- 
poreal exercise,  to  tennis  ball,  dancinar,  or  walking. 
But  at  the  hour  of  three,  every  one  hastened  to  the 
bath ;  neither  could  a  person  neglect  this  practice 
without  incurring  the  risk  of  being  taxed  with  shame- 
ful negligence.  It  was  at  the  bath  where  persons  of  all 
ranks  ir.et ;  it  was  here  the  poets  recited  their  composi- 
tions ;  and  here  they  laid  the  foundation   of  their  fame. 

Physicians,  though  universally  agreed  concerning  the 
utility  of  the  bath,  are  not  unanimous  as  to  the  manner 
of  using  it.  Some  have  cried  up  the  warm,  others  the 
cold  bath.  The  debilitating  and  relaxing  nature  of  hot 
baths,  and  the  bracing  and  strengthening  effects  of  cold 
ones,  were  long  maintained.  A  great  revolution  has, 
however,   been  most    beneficially  introduced   into    this 


BEAUTY,    AND    FASHION.  1G3 

theory  :  for  it  has  been  proved  that  hot  baths,  so  far  from 
debiUtating,  tend  on  the  contrary,  to  brace  the  system, 
when  the  temperature  of  the  water  is  not  higher  than 
that  of  the  body  ;  and  this  opinion  is  admitted  by  most 
modern  physicians  ;  and  so  far  from  being  a  new  one, 
th',^  ancient  physicians  held  the  same  opinion  relative  to 
hot  baths  that  we  entertain  at  the  present  day.  The 
hot  baths  were  dedicated  to  Hercules  the  god  of  strength, 
and  the  Romans  made  daily  use  of  them.  And  experi- 
ence has  proved  that  the  praises  lavished  upon  the  cold 
bath  have  been  greatly  exaggerated ;  though  they  un- 
questionably possess  many  advantages  in  peculiar  cases 
and  constitutions,  and  then  only  under  certain  prescribed 
restrictions.  Ladies  desirous  of  preserving  their  beauty, 
very  seldom  use  the  cold  bath,  unless  it  be  directed  by 
the  ph3'sicians  as  a  means  of  restoring  health.  And 
considered  as  a  cosmetic,  the  cold  bath  possesses  no  vir- 
tue whatever  ;  it  renders  the  skin  hard  and  scaly ;  and 
this  induration  of  the  skin  may  prove  injurious  to  health, 
by  checking  too  suddenly  the  insensible  perspiration. 

Warm  baths  contribute  greatly  to  the  preservation  of 
the  complexion,  by  giving  freshness  and  an  exquisite 
color  to  the  skin.  Plippocrates  recommends  the  wash- 
ing of  children  with  warm  water,  to  protect  them  from 
convulsions,  to  facilitate  their  growth,  and  to  heighten 
their    colour.*       Persons    who     are     very    weak,    and 

*  "  Bathinp  refreshens  and  invigorates  the  organs  of  the 
skin,  which,  by  the  cuuiiiiuu  treitinent  of  children,  may  soon 


164  THE    TOILKTTE    OF    HEALTH, 

whose  humors  are  agitated  by  fever  or  by  passion, 
should  not  bathe;  and  when  the  body  is  too  much 
heated,  or  covered  with  perspiration,  the  bath  is  not 
advisable. 

Baths,  if  too  hot,  would  produce  an  eifect  opposite  to 
v/hat  is  expected  from  them ;  and  like  such  as  are  too 
cold,  they  would  injure  the  texture  of  the  skin,  render 


cease  to  perform  their  offices,  in  consequence  of  becoming 
either  too  soft  or  too  irritable.  A  child  therefore  will  reap  a 
benefit  from  regular  bathing  ;  which,  at  the  present  time,  is 
by  far  too  much  overlooked.  In  fact,  diseases  of  the  skin 
arising  from  flaccidity,  and  many  other  causes,  will  be  pre- 
vented by  it  5  and  those  that  are  unavoidable,  such  as  mea- 
sles, small  pox,  &c.,  considerably  mitigated.  The  tempe- 
rature of  the  bath  most  healthy  for  children  is  between  86 
and  95  degrees  of  Fahrenheit  (a  little  below  blood  warmth.) 
The  effect  of  the  tepid  bath  is  an  uniform  circulation  and 
distribution  of  the  fluids,  which  indeed  is  exactly  what  ia 
required.  Children  therefore  should  be  bathed  in  tepid 
water;  somewhat  cooler  for  strong  children,  and  warmer 
again  for  those  that  are  of  a  weakly  constitution  j  but  in  pro 
portion  to  their  increasing  in  strength,  the  degree  of  warmth 
should  always  be  diminished.  '  In  summer,'  says  Hufeland, 
'  the  water  should  be  exposed  the  whole  of  the  day  to  the 
sun,  which  imparts  to  it  the  most  agreeable  and  most  refresh- 
ing warmth  '  Rain  or  river  water,  is  to  be  preferred;  if 
spring  water  only  can  be  procured,  either  warm  milk  should 
be  added  to  it,  or  water  boiled  with  two  or  three  drachms  of 
soap  and  some  bran  in  it.  I  expressly  advise  that  all  the 
water  should  not  be  boiled,  lest  it  lose  too  much  of  that  air 
upon  which  its  effects,  in  some  measure,  depends."  See 
Mother's  Medical  Pocket  Book.  By  J.  S.  Forsyth,  Surgeon. 


BEAUTY,    AND    FASHION.  1G5 

it  hard  and  dry,  and  impair  the  strcngtii.  The  warm 
bath  recruits  the  strength  exhausted  by  fatigue,  dilates 
the  pores  of  the  skin,  and  facilitates  the  circulation.* 

Besides  the  simple  baths,  there  are  likewise  compound 
and  aromatic  baths  for  tlie  toilette — namely  such  to 
which  certain  substances  are  added  to  augment  their 
energy,  or  to  communicate  new  properties.  A  little  soap 
may  be  added  to  tiie  water ;  it  then  acts  with  more  suc- 
cess, and  more  effectually  purifies  the  skin. 

On  leaving  the  bath,  females,  more  especially  tliose 
who  have  delicate  skins,  should  dry  themselves  with 
precaution,  if  they  be  at  all  desirous  that  it  should  pre- 
serve its  softness  and  beauty.  Some  women  have  the 
skin  covered  with  small  tubercles  ;  such  ought  to  use  a 
sponge  in  preference  to  a  towel,  for  friction  cannot  fail 
to  take  off  the  epidermis  at  the  top  of  these  tubercles, 
wliich  would  render  the  skin  still  rougher,  and  more 
uneven.  The  use  of  oil  after  bathing,  makes  the  skin 
more  soft  and  supple,  prevents  the  contact  of  the  air, 
and  thus  protects  it  against  the  influence  of  that  ele- 
ment, so  destructive  to  the  most  perfect  charms. 

In    England   and   many    parts   of  Europe,   the   bath 


*  By  the  cold  bath  is  meant  every  degree  of  cold  under  85, 
which  always  proves  more  or  less  tonic  in  its  operation.  In 
many  cases  where  the  patient  is  too  weak  to  bear  a  bath  of 
■U),  one  of  Gj  acts  like  a  charm  !  thus  rlicnmatism  is  benefit- 
ed by  whatever  strcngtlicns  the  system,  and  particularly  the 
skin.  A  batli  from  DO  to  100,  is  a  tepid  bath.  Every  degree 
above  100,  is  a  hot  bath. 


166  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 

cannot  be  used  so  frequently  as  health,  cleanliness,  and 
the  preservation  of  beauty  might  require.  How  many 
females  are  there,  whose  avocations  would  suffer  by  a 
daily  absence  of  too  great  length  !  how  many  would  find 
it  difficult  to  make  even  the  little  pecuniary  sacrifice 
which  this  part  of  the  toilette  demands  ! — such  persons 
may  make  amends  by  particular  ablutions,  which  re- 
quire neither  care  nor  expense,  nor  loss  of  time.  Of 
these  consist  bathing  the  feet,  washing  the  hands  and 
face,  and  other  parts  of  the  body.  We  shall  here  de- 
scribe some  of  the  principal  toilette  baths,  that  is,  such 
as  those  into  which  emollient  or  aromatic  herbs  are  in- 
troduced ;  and  which  perfumes  the  skin  and  render  it 
soft  and  more  supple.  The  women  of  Egypt  add  borax 
to  give  it  more  lustre. 

An  Aromatic  Bath. 

In  a  sufficient  quantity  of  river  water,  boil,  for  the 
space  of  two  or  three  minutes,  one  or  more  of  the  fol- 
lowing aromatic  herbs  : — anise ;  clove  ;  July-flowers  ; 
balm ;  basil,  sweet ;  bastard  marjoram  ;  fennel ;  hyssop ; 
laurel;  lavender;  rosemary;  wild  thyme;  wild  mint; 
or  any  other  herbs  that  have  an  agreeable  scent.  Hav- 
ing strained  off  the  liquor  from  the  herbs,  add  to  it  a 
little  brandy  or  camphorated  spirits  of  wine. 

Ob 3. — This  is  said  to  be  an  excellent  bath  to  strength- 
en the  limbs ;  it  removes  pain,  the  consequence  of  cold, 
'and  promotes  perspiration. 


BEAUTY,  AND  FASHION.  ]G7 

Jin  Aromatic  Bath  for  the  Feet. 

Take  penny-royal,  sage,  and  rosemary,  four  handsful, 
angelica  three  handsful ;  juniper  berries,  four  ounces  : 
boil  these  ingredients  in  a  sufficient  quantity  of  water, 
and  strain  off  the  liquor  for  use  at  the  requisite  tempera- 
ture. 

All  Emollient  Bath  for  the  Feet. 

Boil,  in  a  sufficient  quantity  of  water,  a  pound  of 
bran,  with  a  few  marshmallow  roots,  and  two  or  three 
handsful  of  mallow  leaves. 

A  Cosmetic  Bath. 

Take  two  pounds  of  barley,  or  bean  flour,  or  meal ; 
eight  pounds  of  bran,  and  a  few  handsful  of  borage 
leaves.  Boil  these  ingredients  in  a  sufficient  quantity 
of  spring  water.  This  both  cleanses  and  softens  the 
skin  in  a  superior  degree. 

But  the  most  celebrated  baths  are  those  of  asses'  milk. 
The  ancient  authors  have  immortalized  the  memory  of 
the  fifty-three  she-ashes,  which  for  this  purpose,  accom- 
panied the  train  of  the  celebrated  Paphaea.  A  bath, 
called  the 

Bath   of  Modesty, 

has  long  been  extolled.  It  possesses,  it  is  said,  the  same 
properties  as  the  bath  of  asses'  milk,  which  would  be 
very  expensive,  and  is  made  as  follows  : — 

Take  four  ounces  of  sweet  almonds  peeled ;  one 
pound  of  pine-apple  kernels,  and  one  pound  of  elicam 


168  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 

pane,  ten  handsful  of  linseed,  one  ounce  of  roots  of 
marshmallows,  and  one  ounce  of  lily  roots. 

These  various  ingredients  are  directed  to  be  pounded 
altogether  in  a  large  marble  mortar,  and  made  into  a 
paste,  and  tied  up  in  thin  little  bags,  to  be  thrown  into 
the  water  of  the  bath,  and  emptied  by  compression. 

Obs. — This  bath  of  modesty,  says  a  French  writer, 
(Moreau  de  la  Sarthe)  may  be  made  in  a  more  simple 
manner.  Nothing  more  being  necessary  than  to  take  a 
•quantity  of  paste  of  almonds,  sufficient  to  color  the  wa- 
ter, and  to  give  it  a  milky  appearance. 

It  is  true,  indeed,  that  of  all  received  practices  none 
has  a  more  decided  influence  upon  health  as  well  as 
beauty,  than  the  frequent  use  of  the  bath.  It  has  been 
remarked,  that  the  nations  among  whom  it  was  the 
most  common  were  particularly  distinguished  for  physi- 
cal perfection,  and  the  most  regular  flow  of  health,  and 
in  the  Eastern  nations  the  luxury  of  the  bath  ranks 
among  those  of  the  most  exquisite  enjoyment.  Bathing 
may  also  be  considered  as  an  excellent  specific  for  alle- 
viating both  mental  and  bodily  afflictions.  It  is  not 
merely  a  cleanser  of  the  skin,  enlivening  and  rendering 
it  more  fit  for  performing  its  offices ;  but  it  also  refresh- 
ens the  mind,  an(^  spreads  over  the  whole  system  a  sen- 
sation of  ease,  activity,  and  agreeableness.  A  person 
fatigued,  or  distressed  in  body  and  mind,  will  derive 
more  refreshment  from  the  luxury  of  a  lukewarm  bath, 
<ind  may  drown  his  disquietude  in  it  more  efiectually, 
than  by  indulging  in  copious  libations  to  the  rosy  god. 


BEAUTY,    AND     FASHION.  1G9 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 


THE  ECONOMY  OF  DRESS. 

As  regards  the  various  articles  of  dress,  on  which 
health,  comfort,  and  fashion  depend,  attention  must 
necessarily  be  paid  to  the  substance  of  which  they  are 
made,  as  well  as  the  form  in  which  they  are  required  to 
be  made.  Modes  of  clothing,  in  fine,  may  occasion  in- 
convenience, disease,  and  death — 1,  When  we  attempt 
by  it  to  improve  some  supposed  defect  of  the  body  which 
cannot  be  done  without  injury  ; — and  2,  When  it  con- 
sists of  improper  substances,  whether  used  from  necessi- 
ty, or  in  compliance  with  fashion  and  caprice.  Tiie 
general  properties  of  a  good  dress  are  the  following  : — 

1.  That  it  be  not  so  hard  and  unpliable,  as  to  obstruct  the 
free  and  easy  motion  of  the  joints,  and  be  uncomfortable 
either  from  its  weight  or  tightness. 

2.  That  it  preserve  the  body  in  that  degree  of  temperature 
which  is  most  agreeable,  as  well  as  most  suitable  to  the  dif- 
ferent functions  and  motions  in  a  healthy  state  5 — and 

3.  That  it  produce  no  detrimental  effects,  either  by  in- 
creasing perspiration  in  an  unnecessary  degree,  or  too  much 
absorbing  the  vapors  of  the  atmosphere. 

The    property  of  receiving,   repelling,  and   emittirjo- 

heat  and  cold,  depends  not  nnlv  "^n  the  substance  from 
16 


170  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 

which  our  dress  is  made,  and  its  shape  or  form,  but 
also  on  the  color ;— clothes  of  a  light  color  have  the 
least  attraction  for  heat,  consequently  are  the  most 
proper  in  hot  weather.  Substances  of  a  very  smooth 
and  shiny  surface,  strongly  reflect  the  rays  of  the  sun, 
which  cannot  penetrate  through  them;  hence,  in  hot 
climates,  the  advantage  of  hats  covered  with  oil-skin, 
particularly  of  a  green  or  white  color,  of  smooth  and 
shining  shoes,  glazed  go^vns,  and  the  like.  Dazzling 
colors  are  offensive  ;  and  a  person  who  suffers  from 
weak  eyes,  will  injure  them  still  more  by  wearing 
crimson  or  scarlet,  or  being  much  in  company  with 
others  thus  dressed.  For  a  similar  reason,  splendid 
white  dresses,  steel  buttons,  (now  little  worn,)  gold  and 
silver  lace,  and  all  ornaments  of  this  kind,  are  detrimen- 
tal to  vision. 

Animal  Wool. 

Articles  of  dress  composed  of  this  substance  produce 
moderate  warmth,  owing  to  the  stimulus  and  gentle 
friction  it  occasions  on  the  skin.  By  its  use,  animal 
electricity  is  elicited,  perspiration  promoted,  the  per- 
spired humors  are  absorbed,  and  again  easily  evapo- 
rated, on  account  of  its  porous  properties. 

Linen    Cloth 

diminishes  the  elasticity  of  the  skin,  increases  the 
internal  warmth,  and  at  the  same  time,  from  its  com- 
pactness, too    readily  retains   the    perspirable    humors, 


BEAUTY,  AND  FASHION.  171 

and  does  not  part  with  them  so  easily  as  wool.  Soiled 
shirts,  therefore,  produce  a  disagreeable  cooling  sensa- 
tion, and  obstruct  perspiration,  especially  if  made  of 
thick  strong  cloth,  and  not  regularly  changed. 

Silk  occasions  a  gentle  stimulus,  but  does  not  sufii- 
ciently  promote  perspiration,  though  it  attracts  less  hu- 
midity from  the  atmosphere  than  linen. 

Oil-skin,  or  wax-cloth,  increases  perspiration  in  an 
uncommon  degree,  but  does  not  suffer  it  to  evaporate 
again,  and  is,  therefore,  only  admissible  in  certain 
diseases. 

Cotton  may  be  considered  as  an  intermediate  sub- 
stance between  animal  wool  and  linen ;  it  increases 
warmth  and  perspiration,  imbibes  and  retains  the  per- 
spired humors,  to  the  injury  of  the  wearer,  and,  like 
wool,  readily  attracts  infectious  matter. 

All  kinds  of  fur  are  more  noxious  than  useful,  both 
with  respect  to  their  structure  and  constitution. 

The  grand  object,  therefore,  is  to  choose  a  dress  agree- 
able to  the  season  and  weather,  as  well  as  to  constitution 
of  the  body.  Woollen  clothes  are  the  most  proper  in 
spring,  autumn,  and  winter ;  because  they  moderately 
warm  the  body,  do  not  weaken  it  by  the  abstraction  of 
too  many  exhalations,  and  have  the  fewest  points  of 
contact,  or,  in  short,  do  not  attach  so  close  to  the  body 
as  any  other  materials  of  dress. 

In  summer,  most  people  are  accustomed  to  wear  thin 
clothes,  which  are  scarcely  proper  in  our  chan^reable 
climate      Dimng  the  summer  season,  it  is  not  advisable 


175i  THE    TOILETTE    OF     HEALTH, 

to  take  much  exercise  in  thin  dresses,  particularly  in  the 
heat  of  the  day.  Nor  in  the  morning  should  such  clothes 
be  worn,  when  the  air  is  cool,  and  the  pores  of  the  skm 
have  been  dilated  by  the  warmth  of  the  bed — but  still 
less  in  the  evening,  when  the  heat  of  the  day  has  so 
much  opened  them,  that  perspiration  may  be  easily 
checked,  and  health  materially  injured.  In  our  variable 
climate,  it  would  be  preferable  to  wear  a  species  of  dress 
which  is  nearly  uniform  in  all  seasons ;  this,  in  fine, 
would  be  the  most  beneficial  plan  of  managing  the 
body,  with  regard  to  the  most  important  function — 
namely,  that  of  perspiration. 

FLANNEL. 

Animal  wool  recommends  itself  as  the  most  proper 
covering  of  the  skin,  and  has  most  indisputable  advan- 
tages over  all  other  substances.  First,  because  it  is  a 
slow  conductor  of  external  heat  to  the  body,  and  the 
more  easily  attracts  internal  heat,  and  allows  it  to 
evaporate  more  readily,  as  it  is  more  porous  than  any 
other  texture.  Secondly.  A  sultry  atmosphere  is  ex- 
tremely troublesome,  particularly  where  great  heat  is 
combined  with  moisture  :  the  humidity  checking  per- 
spiration, and  at  the  same  time,  conducting  too  many 
aqueous  particles  to  the  absorbent  vessels  from  without. 
Here  then,  flannel  is  of  incomparable  service,  since  it 
keeps  the  vessels  of  the  skin  constantly  open,  causes 
them  to  perspire  freely,  and  admits  but  a  very  small  de- 
gree  of  external   moisture.     Its  good  effect,  however, 


BEAUXy.    AND    FASHION.  173 

consists  in  its  gentle  and  beneficial  stimulus,  or  tiiat 
friction  which  it  occasions  on  the  skin,  and  by  wliich  it 
opens  tlie  pores. 

Another  advantage  which  flannel  possesses  over  linen 
and  cotton  is,  that  people  perspiring  profusely  in  flannel 
shirts,  may  safely  venture  into  the  open  air,  and  will 
not  easily  catch  cold,  because  flannel  does  not  retain  the 
perspired  humors.  Count  Rumford,  in  one  of  his  ear- 
lier essays,  says,  that  he  is  convinced  of  the  utility  of 
flannel  shirts  at  all  seasons ;  that  he  has  worn  them  in 
all  climates,  in  the  warmest  apartments,  and  during  the 
most  fatiguing  exercise,  without  the  leeist  inconvenience. 
That  lie  was  relieved  by  the  use  of  flannel  from  a  pain 
in  his  breast  which  he  had  been  frequently  subject  to, 
and  never  since  knew  an  hour's  illness  ;  and  that  noth- 
ing exceeds  the  agreeable  sensation  of  this  dress,  when 
once  we  are  accustomed  to  it.  Many  desperate  diseases 
in  the  legs  of  the  common  people,  many  inflammations 
of  the  throat,  breast,  and  lungs,  might  be  prevented,  and 
numbers  of  lives  saved,  both  of  children  and  adults,  if 
flannel  were  more  generally  worn.  Children  afflicted 
with  rickets,  cannot  be  better  relieved  than  by  a  proper 
diet  and  flannel  shirts. 

Feet. — The  feet  ought  to  be  kept  warmer  than  other 
parts  of  the  body  ;  and  notliing  is  better  adapted  for  this 
purpose  than  woollen  stockings.  They  ought  to  be 
chosen  thicker  than  those  flannels  used  for  shirts  and 
drawers.  For  the  same  reason,  it  is  proper  to  prevent 
all    moisture     from    without   by    means    ot     water-proof 


174  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 

shoes,  provided  with  thick  cork  soles  for  the  winter,  or 
with  elastic  socks  of  horse-hair. 

Head. — The  well-known  and  excellent  rule  of  keep- 
ing the  head  cool,  and  the  feet  warm,  is  too  much 
neglected.  In  all  countries,  the  man  who  lives  at  his 
ease,  carefully  covers  his  head  with  a  warm  night-cap  ; 
he  spends  perhaps  one-half  of  the  day  in  this  unnatural 
dress,  and  prepares  his  head  for  frequent  colds,  at  every 
sudden  change  of  temperature.  Besides,  weakness  of 
the  head,  pains,  eruptions,  local  congestions,  or  fulness 
of  blood,  loss  of  the  hair,  lethargy,  and  at  length  stupor 
or  insanity,  are  too  often  the  eiFects  of  such  imprudence. 

In  this  temperate  climate,  youth  may  safely  accustom 
themselves  to  go  with  the  head  uncovered ;  but  in  very 
cold  and  hot  countries,  the  head  ought  to  be  slightly 
covered,  to  shelter  it  from  cold,  or  from  the  still  more 
dangerous  vertical  rays  of  the  sun.  New-born  children 
and  those  of  very  delicate  constitutions,  require  only 
an  easy  and  moderately  warm  covering  for  the  head, 
and  this  chiefly  during  the  first  week,  on  account  of  the 
softness  of  their  cranium,  which  is  thin,  but  imperfectly 
ossified. 

To  go  with  the  head  uncovered  in  sunshine,  is  cer- 
tainly improper  both  for  children  and  adults.  A  hat 
ought  indeed  to  shelter  the  eyes  from  a  too  vivid  light ; 
from  the  present  mode  of  hats  it  would  appear  that  the 
brim  is  to  be  entirely  lost  in  the  stupendous  conical 
shape  of  the  body,  without  regard  to  this  necessary  and 
salutary  protection  from  sun,  wind,  duat,  and  rain. 


UKALTVj     AND     FASHION.  175 

Ear. — A  properly  expanded  ear,  not  only  strengthens 
the  perception  of  sound,  but  likewise  preserves  this 
useful  sense  to  a  great  age,  when  the  muscles  of  the 
internal  ear  become    relaxed. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 


NECKCLOTHS— STOCKS— NECKLACES 


Ligatures  of  this  description  are  frequently  worn  so 
tight  as  to  impede  the  free  circulation  of  the  blood  to 
and  from  the  head,  occasioning  head-aches,  faintings, 
and  disposition  to  apoplexy,  corrosive  ulcers  of  the  skin, 
and  various  other  maladies. 

All  coverings  of  the  neck  ought  to  be  worn  loose. 
Necklaces  and  ribbons  are  frequently  tied  so  tight  as  to 
threaten  strangulation  in  the  least  extraordinary  exer- 
tion. The  neck  and  throat  being  alternately  expanded 
and  contracted  in  speaking,  chewing,  and  swallowing,  it 
is  the  highest  degree  of  imprudence,  not  to  say  igno- 
rance, to  obstruct  the  free  motion  of  these  vital  channels. 
Tight  stocks  are  no  less  injurious.  By  the  use  of  these, 
people  have  induced  apojilectic  symptoms;  for  on  turn- 
iuL''  the  neck  when  the  bodv  stand.;  fi.xed,  diminishes  tlie 


176  THE    TOILETTE     OF    HEALTH, 

diameter  of  the  jugular  veins  so  much  that  a  proportion- 
ate quantity  of  blood  cannot  be  returned  from  the  vessels 
of  the  head  and  brain.  Neckcloths  or  cravats  loosely 
tied,  and  not  too  thick,  with  the  shirt  collar  free  and 
easy,  are  therefore  the  only  proper  ones  for  men  ;  and  as 
regards  women  and  children,  the  tliroat  should  be  per- 
fectly  disencumbered. 

Stays  too  tightly  laced  occasion  obstructions  in  wo- 
men,  abdominal  enlargement,  and  numerous  other  in- 
conveniences which  affect  the  general  health,  that  are 
neither  soon  nor  easily  restored  if  continued  too  long. 
The  desire  of  having  a  fine  shape,  has  sent  many  a  fine 
female  to  a  premature  grave.  Diseases  of  the  breast, 
external  callosities,  and  cancer  itself,  are  the  frequent 
consequences  of  tight  lacing.  The  ribs  are  compressed, 
the  spine  is  distorted,  and  the  free  expansion  of  the 
lungs  is  prevented ; — hence  shortness  of  breath,  indura- 
tions and  tubercles  of  the  lungs,  cramp  in  the  stomach, 
defective  digestion,  nausea,  irregularity  in  the  secretory 
and  other  organs. 

Narrow  sleeves  in  gowns  and  coats,  tight  wristbands 
and  collars  in  shirts,  bracelets,  and  garters,  occasion  a 
swelling  of  the  veins,  rigidity  and  weakness  of  the 
nerves  and  joints. 

Boots,  if  too  tight,  and  made  of  thick  leather,  are  so 
injurious  to  health,  and  so  troublesome  in  walking, 
that  no  reasonable  being  could  be  inclined  to  subject 
himself  to  such  torture.  Our  feet,  no  doubt,  would  be 
more  comfortable,  easy    and   useful,  if  we  were  not  at 


BEAUXy,  AND  FASHION.  177 

the  greatest  pains,  by  wearing  short  shoes,  to  deprive 
them  of  their  elasticity  and  vigor.  In  fine,  those  who 
are  regardless  of  the  pain  and  trouble  occasioned  by 
corns,  bunions,  and  other  excrescences — those  who 
wish  to  convert  their  feet  and  toes  into  so  many  barom- 
eters to  indicate  the  present  state,  and  to  foretell  the 
future  change  of  the  weather,  will  not  fail  to  contract 
with  his  shoemaker  to  save  as  much  leather  as  possible, 
but  he  is  none  the  less  to  be  pitied  for  his  imprudence. 
A  oonvenient  shoe  ought  to  be  somewhat  round  at  the 
toes,  of  sufficient  length,  thick  soles,  and  a  soft  and 
pliable  upper  leather.  If  there  be  a  deficiency  of  any 
of  these  requisites,  the  skin  will  be  rendered  hard,  the 
perspiration,  indispensable  to  these  parts,  stopped ;  warts 
and  corns  will  shoot  up  in  luxuriant  crops;  the  toe 
nails  will  grow  into  the  flesh,  and  the  w'hole  body  will 
sympatliize  with  the  local  affliction. 

All  tight  ligatures  or  pressure  of  any  kind  applied  to 
the  body  interrupt  the  circulation  j  collars  and  wrist- 
bands of  shirts,  garters,  stays,  waistbands,  cravats,  and 
even  hats  ought  to  fit  and  sit  easy.  Those  who  have 
short  necks,  high  shoulders,  and  contracted  breasts,  as 
well  as  those  who  are  of  a  florid  complexion,  stout  and 
plethoric,  cannot  be  too  attentive  to  this  advice ;  the 
neck  of  such  will  predispose,  if  it  do  not  actually  bring 
on  apoplexy.  Also  on  retiring  to  rest  by  day  or  night, 
all  ligatures  above  mentioned  should  be  undone. 


178  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 


CHAPTER   XXX. 

THE   GRACES. 

"  Grace  was  in  all  her  steps."— 3/i&o/i. 

Lord  Chesterfield's  opinion  was,  that  the  Graces  were 
useful  to  a  man  in  advancing  him  in  the  world,  and  we 
believe  he  thought  very  right.  This  noble  author  talks 
so  much  and  so  often  of  those  "  amiable  somethings," 
that  his  reader  at  last  falls  in  love  with  them  :  he 
wishes  to  possess  them ;  and  then  he  thinks  of  asking 
himself  what  they  are.  There  his  lordship  foils  his 
reader  :  he  has  not  explained  them,  nor  has  he  shown 
how  they  are  to  be  acquired.  He  calls  them  a  "  Je  ne 
sai  quoi  wliich  charm ;  indefinable  somethings  which 
enchant."  These  phrases  may  be  pretty,  but  they 
convey  no  idea.  ''  I  cannot  see,"  says  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Sherlock,  ''  what  a  man  can  find  who  looks  for  '  he 
don't  know  what.'" 

All  grace  consists  in  motion.  The  great  secret  of  it 
is  to  many  two  apparent  contradictions  ;  to  unite  in  the 
same  movement — quickness  and  softness,  vivacity  and 
mildness,  gentleness  and  spirit.* 


*  Shakspeare,  who  saw  everything,  saw  this  too.     When 
Hamlet  gives    rules    to  the   players  for  graceful  action,  he 


BEAUTY,    AND    FASHION.  171) 

If  softness  become  slowness,  it  is  languid  and  dull. 
If  liveliness  be  not  attempered  with  gentleness,  it  be- 
comes violence  or  levity.  Every  violent  movement  is 
ungracious  ;*  and  levity  touches  near  upon  ridicule. 
The  union  of  those  two  requisites  is  necessary  in 
dancing,  walking,  bowing,  talking,  carving,  presenting 
or  receiving  any  thing,  and,  if  we  may  venture  to  add, 
in  smiling. 

Ease  is  the  essence  of  grace :  but  all  motions  quick 
and  smooth  will  necessarily  be  easy  and  free.  When 
Milton  describes  the  grace  of  an  angel,  it  is  ^^smooth- 
sliding  without  step;"  and  Guido's  angels,  who  are 
as  graceful  as  Taglioni,  seem  to  have  been  painted  after 
Milton's  description.  The  seat  of  grace  is,  in  all  parts 
of  the  body  that  have  motion,  as  the  legs,  hands,  arms, 
head,  lips,  eye-brows,  but  particularly  in  the  neck.  As 
the  head  is  almost  continually  in  motion,  to  have  it 
move  with  freedom  and  ease,  the  muscles  of  the  neck 
ought  to  be  extremely  supple.  This  suppleness  is  ac- 
quired by  practice.  The  women  of  France  possess  it 
in  a  higher  degree  than  those  of  any  other  country  I 
know.  A  French  woman,  sitting  between  two  men, 
will  address  the  same  phrase  to  both  of  them,  by  a  free 

says — "and  in  the  very  torrent,  tempest,  and,  as  I  may  say, 
whirlwind  of  your  passion,  you  must  beget  a  temperance, 
that  may  give  it  smoothness — use  all  gently — be  not  too 
tame  cither." 

*  The  Queen  of  England's  countenance  is  as  graceful  as 
it  is  gracious. 


180  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 

and  easy  motion  of  her  head,  without  ever  moving  her 
shoulders.  Women  of  other  countries  cannot  do  that. 
When  they  turn  the  head,  there  is  a  stiffness  in  the 
joints  or  muscles  of  their  necks,  that  makes  them  turn 
the  whole  body  with  it. 

Nothing  was  ever  graceful  that  was  forced  or  unnat- 
ural. The  smallest  degree  of  affectation  destroys  grace  : 
and  hence  the  necessity  of  attending  to  that  precious 
rule,  "  Rien  de  trop — do  not  o'erstep  the  modesty  of  na- 
ture." Those  who  most  frequently  trespass  against  this 
precept  are  the  people  of  the  stage.  They  are  almost 
all  affected.  Even  the  inimitable  Vestris  himself,  the 
first  dancer  in  the  world,  had  his  '■'  ungraceful  mo- 
ments." There  is  a  point  where  grace  stops  I  beyond 
that  point  is  affectation.  To  hit  the  happy  mean. is  diffi- 
cult in  every  thing ;  perhaps  in  nothing  more  so  in  the 
arts  than  in  this  grace  we  are  talking  of.  Its  effect  is 
so  fine,  and  it  is  so  sure  of  captivating  every  beholder, 
that  all  painters  aim  at  it  particularly.  Few  of  them 
succeed — Sir  Joshua  Reynolds  better  than  any  of  his 
contemporaries  or  successors  in  the  modern  school :  in- 
deed, in  this  particular,  he  seems  not  inferior  to  any 
painter  in  Italy. 

The  most  essential  of  all  the  graces,  because  the  most 
useful,  and  of  the  greatest  effect,  is  to  speak.  As  every 
motion  of  the  body  ought  to  be  free  from  confusion, 
hurry,  or  embarrassment,  and  at  the  same  time  ani- 
mated and  lively,  so  the  movement  of  the  tongue  ought 
to    be    quick    without  precipitation,   and    soft     without 


BEAUTY,  AND  FASHIOK.  181 

monotony.  The  persons  who  unite  vivacity  to  soft- 
ness in  tlieir  utterance  must  necessarily  speak  with 
ease,  which,  as  already  observed,  is  the  very  essence  of 
grace  :  and  affectation  being  the  greatest  enemy  of  the 
graces,  simplicity  is  their  best  friend.  "  If  you  wisli  to 
see  the  two  strongest  examples  I  know  of  each,  look  at 
an  English  nobleman  and  a  Dutch  Jew.  These  two 
characters  are  equally  free  from  affectation ;  but  the 
difference  between  their  air  and  carriage  is  greater  than 
any  words  I  am  master  of — can  express."* 

•'•  Lord  Chesterfield  says,  '  He  can  neither  ascertain 
nor  define  the  graces.'  I  cannot  define  them,  but  I 
think  1  have  ascertained  them  ;  and  I  cannot  see  that 
they  are  so  very  difficult  to  be  acquired.  Nature,  it  is 
true,  must  do  something;  for  there  are  people  to  whom 
it  would  be  impossible  to  give  grace,  t  and  I  believe 
Mr.  Stanhope  was  one  of  them.  However,  w'ere  there 
not  some  unhappiness  in  a  character,  a  good  master,  a 
little  attention,  and  frequenting  the  best  compan}',  will 
give  a  young  man  every  idea  that  I  have  mentioned  in 
this  letter ;  and,  I  confess,  1  do  not  see  that  he  can 
add  another  which. would  not  be  ridiculous  or  trifling." 

The  Graces  were  unquestionably  of  Grecian  extrac- 
tion.    The  Greeks  had,  of  all  people,  the  most  beauti- 


*  See  letters  by  tfie  Rev.  Mr.  Sherlock,  vol.  2. 

t  Tt  is  the  same  in  classes  of  animals.  IS'o  education 
could  give  grace  to  a  wild  boar  or  an  elephant.  There  is 
not  a  more  graceful  creature  than  a  high-bred  horse  that  is 
well  trained. 

17 


812  THE    TOILETTE    OF  HEALTH, 

ful  imagination.  They  produced  the  happiest  and  most 
perfect  creatures  that  ever  have  been  known  ;  and  they 
embellished  them  when  produced  to  the  highest  degree 
that  pure  and  elegant  taste  would  admit.  The  first 
point  in  taste,  invention,  grace,  and  every  thing  else, 
is  good  sense ;  and  on  this  ground-work  are  all  the  in- 
ventions of  the  Greeks  founded.  The  original  idea  of 
their  creature  was  always  taken  from  nature,  and 
founded  on  truth.  Whenever  they  discovered  a  fertile 
and  promising  subject,  they  divided  it  into  parts,  and 
after  they  had  cast  away  every  thing  belonging  to  it 
that  was  disagreeable  or  uninteresting,  they  beautified 
what  remained  to  the  highest  degree  of  perfection, 

A  beautiful  and  amorous  princess,  whose  name  was 
Venus,  was  born  in  one  of  the  Greek  islands.  She 
had  three  amiable  maids  of  honor  who  were  sisters, 
and  these  were  the  Graces.  This  is  all  the  foundation 
given  by  nature  and  truth ;  the  Greek  imagination 
created  the  rest.  The  poets  first  made  this  princess  a 
divinity,  and,  to  sublime  their  idea,  fabled  her  sprung 
from  the  ocean.  It  is  unnecessary  to  repeat  all  that 
has  been  said  of  her.  The  painters  of  Greece  then 
painted  her  from  imagination.  But,  edas !  canvass  is 
perishable  ;  and  these  pictures  are  no  longer  to  be  seen. 
One  portrait,  however,  of  her,  fortunately  still  remains 
— that  is,  one  good  likeness;  for  there  are  innumerable 
Venuses ;  but  the  Venus  of  Medici  is  the  only  one 
which  fills  the  imagination  at  once  with  an  idea  of 
Greek  genius,  and  of  perfect  beauty  !     The  author   of 


BEAUTY,     AND     FASHION.  183 

lliis  statue  said  to  hiniselfj  "  I^have  a  goddess  to  create, 
and  that  goddess  is  the^goddess  of  Love.  She  must  be 
a  perfect  beauty.  But  no  such  being  has  ever  existed. 
I  have  no  resource  left  but  to  create  her  myself."  He 
then  studied,  in  the  most  beautiful  women  of  his  coun- 
try, the  parts  in  wliich  each  particular  woman  excelled. 
lie  saw  what  constituted  a  perfect  foot,  a  hand  and 
arm,  a  neck  and  bosom;  and  after  he  had  made  him- 
self master  of  each  part,  he,  by  a  single  effort  of  genius, 
combined  them  with  the  justest  symmetry  into  a  perfect 
whole.  As  happy  an  idea  as  ever  entered  into  an  artist's 
head,  and  as  difficult  to  execute. 

Beauty  was  evidently  the  first  idea  for  the  goddess  of 
love.  But  beauty  alone,  this  refined  Greek  knew  well, 
was  insipid  without  grace,  and  uninteresting  without 
character.  His  next  thought,  consequently,  was,  that 
by  showing  his  divinity  in  a  happy  moment,  he  would 
make  grace,  expression,  character,  all  spring  from  that 
moment  in  so  easy  a  manner,  that  it  should  appear  to 
have  cost  no  effort ;  and  in  so  natural  a  manner,  that  it 
should  seem  impossible  to  have  found  another.  He 
seizes  her  then  in  the  instant  she  rises  from  the  sea, 
and  throwing  himself,  as  it  were,  into  her  soul,  he  dis- 
covers in  her  countenance  wiiat  must  have  been  its  first 
emotion.  It  is  that  of  modesty.  There  is  the  charac- 
ter at  once  determined — expression  given  to  the  statue 
— all  the  parlo  disposed  of  with  decency  and  pro- 
priety ;  and  to  render  his  production  norfeci,  tiie 
whole  conveying   a   refined   and  elegant   moral,   ••  that 


184  THE    TOILKTTE    OF    HEALTH, 

love    can  only    be  inspired  by  the  union  of  beauty  vnth 
modesty  J" 

This  is  a  great  excellency  in  the  Greek  artists  of 
every  kind — they  have  always  a  moral.  They  have  too 
a  happiness  in  choosing  a  moment  to  show  an  object, 
of  which  other  artists  have  scarcely  thought.  They 
snatched  the  "  nice  point  of  time,"  in  which,  whatever 
they  had  to  exhibit,  was  to  be  seen  to  the  greatest  ad- 
vantage. They  carried  this  attention,  as  well  as  that  of 
character,  even  to  animals.  The  head  of  the  boar  at 
Meleager's  feet  is  that  of  a  fierce  savage,  that  deso- 
lated an  entire  country,  and  struck  with  terror  all  its 
inhabitants.  Had  they  a  stork  to  show .''  It  is  at  the 
moment  he  is  in  conflict  with  a  serpent,  which  twists 
itself  in  the  most  natural  and  graceful  writhings  about 
the  neck  of  its  feathered  enemy.  Was  an  eagle  to  be 
their  subject  ?  He  is  shown  at  the  instant  he  is  going  to 
dart  from  a  rock,  and  soar  among  the  clouds.  His  air 
announces  that  he  is  the  king  of  birds,  and  worthy  to 
bear  the  thunderbolt  of  Jove.  Whatever  was  the  mo- 
ment of  real  life,  in  which  an  animal  would  most  have 
interested  a  spectator,  is  invariably  the  moment  in 
which  the  Greeks  have  chosen  to  exhibit  it. 

To  return   to  the    Venus   of  Medici.     Her  character 
is  female  excellence  itself.     She  seems — 
"  A  maiden  never  bold, 
Of  spirit  so  still  and  quiet,  that  her  motion 
Blush'd  at  itself." 

The  leading  idea  that  characterizes  this  amiable  group 


BEAUTY,    AND    FASHION. 


185 


(the  Graces,)  and  which  is  unplied  in  their  name, 
is  gaiety  and  good  humor.  They  are  always  repre- 
sented as  young  and  handsome  ;  and  their  faces  wear 
a  perpetual  smile.  The  particular  ideas  conveyed  to 
us  by  their  names,  serve  only  to  illustrate  their  gene- 
ral appellation.  The  youngest  is  called  '  Thalia,' 
which  signifies  *  a  blooming  girl ;'  the  second  is  named 

*  Euphrosyna,'  which  signifies  a  'sprightly'  one;  and 
the  eldest,  who  was  to  keep  her  sisters  in  order,  is  called 

*  Aglaia,'  which  means  brilliancy,  splendor,  and  neat- 
ness, but  at  the  same  time  implies  dignity  and  decorum. 
They  are  come  down  to  us  naked ;  but  '  that  '  our  fair 
readers  are  not  to  be  skocked  at — for  they  are  to  be  con- 
sidered entirely  an  allegorical  group — no  material  ideas 
about  them  at  all.  And  the  proof  of  this  is,  not  one  of 
the  three  had  ever  the  least  suspicion  thrown  out  against 
her.  This,  considering  the  voluptuousness  of  their  cli- 
mate, and  the  example  of  the  sovereign,  is  a  tolerable 
proof  that  they  were  rather  spiritual  than  corporeal 
beings. 

The  moaning  of  the  Graces  being  naked  is,  that,  like 
Trutli,  they  should  be  simple  and  unadorned  ;  and  tiiat 
tiiey  should  be  frank  and  ingenuous,  and  show  them- 
selves such  as  they  were,  without  coquetry,  dissimula- 
tion, or  disguise.  But  their  nakedness  is  as  decent  as 
nakedness  can  be  ;  for  view  them  as  much  as  you  please, 
from  the  chin  to  the  ancle,  or  from  the  '  cliignon  '  to 
the  heel,  they  never  excite  any  idea  that  can  offend  the 
nicest  delicacy.     And  lience  it  is,  tliat  Horace  so  often 


186'  THE    TOILETTE    OK    HEALTH, 

calls  them  the  '  decent  Graces.'  They  are  joined  hand 
in  hand,  to  show  that  cheerfulness,  vivacity,  and  youth, 
ought  to  be  united  with  sincerity,  candor,  and  decorum; 
and  to  assure  the  beholder,  that  unless  he  possesses  '  all' 
these  qualities,  he  cannot  boast  of  being  a  favourite  with 
the  Graces.  They  are  in  motion,  because  without  mo- 
tion there  can  be  no  grace.  Their  movements,  you  will 
see,  are  animated  and  soft;  and  the  decided  character  of  _ 

the  whole  group  is  a  noble  simplicity,  and  an  unaffected  jH 

modesty. 

The  Greeks,  then,  conceived  that  beauty  was  neces- 
sary to  inspire  love  ;  but  that  the  power  of  Venus  was 
fleeting  and  transitory,  unless  she  was  attired  and  ac- 
companied by  the  Graces,  that  is,  unless  ease  and  affa- 
bility, gentleness  and  spirit,  good  humor,  modesty,  in- 
genuousness and  candor  engaged  the  admirers  that 
beauty  attracted." 


*  The  three  Graces  are,  to  use  the  expression,  united  in 
the  Venus  di  Medici. 


BEAUTy,    AND    FASHION.  187 

CHAPTER   XXXI. 

FASHION  AND  DRESS. 

Wherever  fashion  presides,  the  satirist  of  every  age 
will  ever  find  an  ample  and  varying  fund  for  the 
exercise  of  his  talent.  Wherever  this  Proteus  makes 
its  appearance,  like  a  deluge  or  a  mountain  cataract,  it 
sweeps  everything  before  it.  It  shines  in  the  drawing- 
room,  and  leads  the  mode  in  Bond-street  and  the  Mall. 
It  dictates  to  the  company  in  the  Opera,  and  presides 
in  the  humbler  routs  at  Wapping  and  Seven  Dials. 
It  prescribes  grey  powder  for  those  that  have  black 
hair,  or  a  leaden  comb  for  such  as  have  red.  It  gives 
complexion  to  the  pale,  and  from  the  ruddy  takes  away 
the  complexion  they  have  already  got.  It  gives  sanc- 
tion to  a  stupid  play,  and  damns  an  excellent  one.  It 
orders  bonnets  and  turbans  of  monstrous  magnitude 
for  the  ladies,  and  false  collars  and  dickeys  for  the 
gentlemen.  It  lengthens  or  shortens  the  waists  of  the 
ladies,  while  it  equally  elongates  or  curtails  the  habits 
of  their  lords  and  masters.  Sometimes  it  prescribes 
ringlets  and  small  curls  ;  at  others,  toupees  and  French 
curls  as  broad  as  the  wheels  of  a  stage  waggon.  It 
plays   also    with   the    hat,   and   predominates   over   the 


188 


THE    TOILETTE    OF     HEALTH, 


color  as  well  as  cut  of  a  man's  coat  or  his  waistcoat; 
while  every  other  article  of  dress  is  equally  suspended 
on  the  nod  of  this  all-ruling  d(;ity.  It  orders  some 
to  dine  when  they  ought  to  think  of  supper ;  and  to 
breakfast  when  they  should  dine.  In  short,  fashion 
commands  us  to  distrust  our  senses,  yet  prescribes  the 
indulgence  of  sensual  pleasures.  Every  institution, 
even  those  founded  on  the  most  permanent  principles 
and  laws,  are  subject  to  change ;  but  fashion,  whose 
authority  is  derived  from  luxury,  whims,  and  idleness^ 
must   vary    with   every  '  varying  hour.' 

As  the  face  is  the  mirror  of  the  soul,  so  dress  is  the 
index  of  the  mind.  Superfluity  denotes  either  the 
pride  or  the  extravagance  of  the  wearer ;  slovenliness 
betokens  an  indolent  negligence ;  and  a  whimsical 
habit  is  the  mark  of  a  capricious  mind.  To  dress  totally 
in  opposition  to  the  prevailing  fashion,  is  undoubtedly 
an  error,  since  it  is  by  the  change  of  fashion  that  trade 
is  supported ;  and  setting  ourselves  up  to  oppose  the 
general  taste  of  the  times,  is  as  great  a  proof  of  vanity 
and  pride,  as  attempting  to  be  the  first  who  shall  intro- 
duce a  novelty.  If  it  be  owing  to  pride  that  many 
men  make  it  their  study  constantly  to  appear  on  the 
tip  of  the  mode,  we  must  lay  the  same  accusation 
against  those  who  oppose  it  in  the  extreme.  Have  not 
the  Quakers  a  peculiar  pride  in  their  dress,  which 
seems  uniformly  to  consist  in  varying  from  the  modes 
of  churchmen  ? 

It    has  constantly    appeared  to    us    as  an  established 


BEAUTY,    AND    FASHION.  189 

truth,  that  every  one  dresses  more  to  please  others 
than  himself,  else  why  should  almost  every  one  be 
entirely  regardless  of  what  he  wears  in  his  own  house, 
but  always  puts  on  something  better  when  he  goes 
abroad  ;  and  that  generally  good  in  proportion  to  the 
company  he  expects  to  meet  with  ?  Custom  has  made 
an  attention  to  dress,  in  this  metropolis,  in  some  measure 
indispensable.  Whatever  may  be  a  man's  fortune  in 
life,  should  he  step  into  a  coffee-house  or  any  of  the 
public  offices  where  he  may  not  be  known,  if  he  is  not 
dressed  suitably  to  his  character  and  the  times,  he  will 
be  treated  with  great  indifference,  perhaps  with  neglect 
and  insult.  What  would  half  of  our  modern  beaux  doj 
were  it  not  for  the  assistance  of  the  tailor  ?  And  here 
the  following  ditty,  in  commendation  of  the  merchant- 
tailors'  trade,  chanted  formerly  in  the  great  city  pa- 
geants, supports  our  observation.     It  commences  thus — 

'  Of  all  the  professions  that  ever  were  named, 
The  tailor's,  though  slighted,  is  much  to  be  famed : 
For  various  invention  and  antiquity, 
No  trade  with  the  tailor's  compared  may  be ; 
For  warmth,  anrf  distinction,  and  fashion,  he  doth 
Provide  for  both  sexes  with  silk,  stuffs,  and  cloth. 
Then  do  not  disdain  him,  or  slight  him,  or  flout  liim. 
Since  (if  well  consider'd)  you  can't  live  without  him. 
But  let  all  due  praises  (that  can  be)  be  made, 
To  honor  and  dignify  the  tailor's  trade. 

'  When  ^dam  and  Eve  out  of  Eden  were  hurl'd, 
They  were  at  tliat  time  king  and  queen  of  the  world  : 


190  THE   TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 

Yet  this  royal  couple  were  forced  to  play 
The  tailors,  and  put  themselves  in  green  array  ; 
For  modesty  and  for  necessity's  sake, 
They  had  figs  for  the  belly  and  leaves  for  the  back ; 
And  afterwards  clothing  of  sheepskins  they  made — 
Then  judge  if  a  tailor  was  not  the  first  trade  ; 
The  oldest  profession ;  and  they  are  but  railers 
Who  scoff  and  deride  men  that  otiIij  are  tailors. 

The  elegant  air  and  make  of  a  suit  of  clothes  fre- 
quently pleads  better  with  the  fair  than  anything  the 
empty  coxcomb  can  say  for  himself,  who  is  perpetually 
consulting  his  pocket-glass  to  adjust  a  hair  of  his  head 
that  chance  may  have  misplaced.  Were  we  permitted 
to  give  our  advice  in  this  matter,  it  should  be,  neither 
to  court  nor  despise  fashions,  but  always  to  observe 
the    medium,  and  avoid  the  extreme. 

Fashions  have  usually  originated  in  some  temporising 
event ;  for  instance,  after  the  battle  of  Steenkirk,  where 
the  allies  wore  large  cravats,  by  which  the  French  fre- 
quently seized  hold  of  them,  a  circumstance  perpetuated 
on  the  medals  of  Louis  XIV.  cravats  were  called 
Steenkirk s ;  and  after  the  battle  of  Ramillies,  wig's  re- 
ceived that  denomination. 


BEAUTY.  AND  FASHION.  191 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 


CONCLUDIXG  ADVICE  TO   THE   LADIES. 


This  work  was  undertaken  for  the  benefit  of  botli 
sexes  ;  we  shall  therefore  in  common  courtesy  conclude 
it  with  a  word  of  advice  to  the  ladies,  by  recommending 
to  them  a  never-failixg  beauty  -vvash,  to  be  used  the 
whole  year  round  ;  by  those  in  particular  who  may  be 
intent  on  improving  their  personal  charms.  This  wash 
indeed  is  so  perfectly  innocent,  that  it  may  be  used 
with  safety  by  both  young  and  old ;  and  will  greatly 
illustrate  and  preserve  the  complexion  of  either  male  or 
female. 

Let  then  the  ladies  observe  the  following  rules  : — 
in  the  morning  use  pure  water  as  a  preparatory  ablu- 
tion :  after  which  they  must  abstain  from  all  sudden 
gusts  of  passion,  particularly  envy,  as  that  gives  the 
skin  a  sallow  paleness.  It  may  seem  trifling  to  talk  of 
temperance,  yet  must  this  be  attended  to,  both  in 
eating  andjdrinking,  if  they  would  avoid  those  pimples, 
for  which  the  advertised  washes  are  a  cure.  Instead  of 
rouge,  let  them  use  moderate  exercise,  which  will  raise 


192  THE    TOILETTE    OF    HEALTH, 

a  natural  bloom  in  their  cheek,  inimitable  by  art. 
Ingenuous  candor,  and  unaffected  good  humor,  will 
give  an  openness  to  their  countenance  that  will  make 
them  universally  agreeable.  A  desire  of  pleasing  will 
add  fire  to  their  eyes,  and  breathing  the  morning  air  at 
sunrise  will  give  their  lips  a  vermilion  hue.  That 
amiable  vivacity  which  they  now  possess,  may  be  hap- 
pily heightened  and  preserved,  if  they  avoid  late  hours 
and  card  playing,  as  well  as  novel  reading  by  candle 
light,  but  not  otherwise ;  for  the  first  gives  the  face  a 
drowsy,  disagreeable  aspect,  the  second  is  the  motlier  of 
wrinkles,  and  the  third,  is  a  fruitful  source  of  weak 
eyes  and  a  sallow   complexion. 

A  white  hand  is  a  very  desirable  ornament )  and  a 
hand  can  never  be  white  unless  it  be  kept  clean ;  nor 
is  this  all,  for  if  a  young  lady  would  excel  her  com- 
panions in  this  respect,  she  must  keep  her  hands  in, 
constant  motion,  which  will  occasion  the  blood  to  cir- 
culate freely,  and  have  a  wonderful  effect.  The  motion 
recommended,  is  working  at  her  needle,  brushing  up 
the  house,  and  twirling  the  distaff.  It  was  this  industry 
in  our  grandmothers,  which  gave  Kneller  an  opportunity 
of  gratifying  posterity  with  the  view  of  so  many  fine 
hands  and  arms  in  his  incomparable  portraits. 

A  few  words  more,  and  we  have  done.  Let  the 
ladies  preserve  an  unaffected  neatness  in  their  apparel ; 
even  if  their  fortune  would  permit  them  to  dress  ele- 
gantly, their  good  sense  should  always  prevent  them 
from  descending  to  gaudiness ;  which  certainly  strikes 


BEAUTY,  AND  FASHION.  193 

the  eye  of  the  ignorant,  but  disgusts  those  of  true  taste 
and  discernment :  besides,  where  there  are  natural 
charms  they  ought  not  to  be  obscured  by  the  blandish- 
ments of  art.  Many  ladies  possess  more  beauties  than 
they  are  actually  acquainted  with,  which  is  no  small 
addition  to  their  merit. 


18 


APPENDIX. 


MISCELLANEOUS  RECIPES  FOR  THE  TOILETTE. 
1.  Eau  de  Cologne. 

This  popular  perfume  may  be  made  genuine  as  fol- 
lows : — 

Take  Rectified  spirits  of  wine    ...  6  pints 

Spirits  of  rosemary 1  |  pint 

Eau  de  Melisse  de  Carmes         .       1  pint  2  oz. 

Essence  of  Neroli       =     .     .     ,  45  drops 

Essence  of  cedrat  ....  60  drops 

Essence  of  lemon  .     .     .     .  1  ^  drachm 

Oil  of  Rosemary  ....  1  drachm. 

Mix  these  ingredients,  and  distil  in  a  water  bath.  Care 
must  be  taken  in  receiving  the  product;  and  keep  it 
for  a  short  time  previous  to  using  it,  in  a  cool  cellar  or 
ice-house.  Its  only  use  is  as  a  perfume  and  flavory 
essence.  Its  cosmetic  powers  are  celebrated;  and  its 
use  is  said  to  render  the  face  pale,  |^and  give  the  com- 
plexion an  exsanguineous  tint.  It  is  in  high  repute  on 
the  continent :  and  that  which  is  imported  is  frequently 
adulterated. 


APPENDIX.  195 

2.  A  Kalydor  for  the  Complexion. 

Take  Emulsion  of  bitter  almonds     .     1    pint 
Oxymuriate  of  quicksilver      .     2^  pints 

Sal  ammonia 1    drachm. 

A  wash  for  pimples,  freckle-tanned  complexions,  or 
scurf  on  the  skin.  To  be  used  moderately  by  means  of 
a  sponge,  after  washing  the  face  and  hands  with  soft- 
soap  and  warm  water. 

3.  Bags  to  Scent  Linen. 

Take  rose  leaves,  dried  in  the  shade ;  cloves  beat  to  a 
grass  powder,  and  mace  scraped.  Mix  them  together 
and  put  the  composition  into  little  bags. 

For  the  same  purpose  may  be  used  various  aromatic 
plants,  as  leaves  of  southern-wood,  dragon-wort,  balm, 
mint,  both  garden  and  wild ;  dittary,  ground-ivy,  bay, 
hyssop,  lovage,  sweet-marjoram,  origanum,  penny- 
royal, thyme ;  rosemary,  savory,  scordium,  and  wild 
thyme,  &c. 

The  flowers  of  the  orange,  lemon,  lime,  and  citron 
tree;  saffron,  lavender,  roses,  lilly  of  the  valley,  clove, 
July-flower,  wall-flower,  jonquil,  and  mace. 

Fruits,  as  aniseeds,  &c. 

Roots  of  acorns,  Bohemian  angelica,  oriental  costus, 
sweet-flag,  orrice,  zedoary,  &c. 

Woods  of  rhodium,  juniper,  cassia,  St.  Lucia,  San- 
ders, &c. 

Gums,  as  frankincense,  myrrh,  storax,  Benjamin, 
labdanum,  ambergris,  and  amber,  &c. 


196  APPENDIX. 

Barks,  as  canella  alba  (winter's  l^irk)  cinnamon. 

These  ingredients  ought  all  to  be  perfectly  dry,  and 
kept  in  a  dry  place ;  and  to  prevent  them  from  turning 
black,  a  little  common  salt  may  be  added.  When  it  is 
desirable  to  have  any  particular  flowers  predominant,  a 
greater  quantity  of  that  plant  must  be  used  in  propor- 
tion to  the  other  ingredients. 

4.  An  agreeable  siceet-scented  Composition. 


Take  Florentine  orrice     .     . 

.     ^  pound 

Rose-wood     .... 

.     6  ounces 

Calimis  aromaticus 

.     ^  pound 

Yellow-Sanders       .     . 

.     4  pound 

G.  Benjamin      .     .     . 

.     3  ounces 

Cloves       

.     ^  ounce 

Cinnamon      .... 

.     1  ounce 

Beat  the  whole  into  a  powder,  and  fill  little  bags  with 
it.  Fewer  ingredients  may  serve,  but  the  more  the 
richer.     For  linen,  drawers,  wardrobes,  &c. 

5.  A  sweet  scented  Bag  to  wear  in  the  Pocket. 

Take  thin  Persian,  and  make  it  into  little  bags  about 
four  inches  wide,  in  the  form  of  an  oblong  square.  Rub 
the  insides  slightly  with  a  little  civet,  then  fill  them  with 
coarse  powder  a  la  Marechale,  or  any  other  odoriferous 
powder — to  which  may  be  added  a  few  cloves,  with  a 
little  vellow  sanders  beaten  small,  and  sew  up  the 
mouths  of  the  bag. 


APPENDIX.  197 

6.  Jl  Cosmetic  Wash- Ball. 
Take  Venetian  soap     ...     2  ounces 


Lemon-juice    . 

.     2  ounces 

Oil  of  bitter  almonds 

.     1  ounce 

Oil  of  tartar     .     .     . 

.     1  ounce, 

Dissolve  the  soap  in  the  lemon-juice — add  the  otlier  in- 
gredients, and  stew  them  all  together  till  it  acquires  the 
consistence  of  a  thin  paste. 

7.  Madame  Pompadour's  Wash-Ball. 

Take  Brandy 4  pints. 

Italian  soap  J  cut  small     .     1  pound 
Quick-lime ^  pound. 

Add  them  to  the  brandy,  let  them  ferment  twenty-four 
hours,  and  then  spread  the  mass  on  a  sheet  of  filtering 
paper  to  dry.  When  quite  dry,  beat  it  in  a  marble  mor- 
tar, with  half  an  ounce  of  St.  Lucia  wood,  an  ounce  and 
ahalf  of  yellow  sanders,  half  an  ounce  of  orrice  root,  and 
as  much  calimus  aromaticus,  all  finely  powdered. 
Knead  the  whole  into  a  paste  with  whites  of  eggs,  and  a 
quarter  of  a  pound  of  gum  fragaranth  dissolved  in 
rose-water,  and  then  form  it  into  balls  according  to  the 
usual  method. 

8.     A  cool   eraporating    Aromatic  Lotion  for   the    Face, 
Hands,  and  Keck. 

Take  Spirits  of  lavender      .     I  ounce 
Rose  water         ...     1  pint 
Distilled  water        .     .     h,  pint. 


198  APPENDIX. 

9.     Jl  Perfuviefor  Gloves. 

Take  Ambergris     ....     1  drachm 

Civet         1  drachm 

Orange-flower  water       ^  ounce. 

Mix  these  ingredients  well,  and  rub  them  into  the 
gloves  with  fine  cotton  wool,  pressing  the  perfume  into 
them. 

10.     Another. 

Take  essence  of  roses,  half  an  ounce ;  oil  of  cloves 
and  mace  of  each  a  drachm;  frankincense,  a  quarter  ot 
an  ounce — mix  them  and  lay  them  in  papers  between 
your  gloves.  Being  hard  pressed,  the  gloves  will  take 
the  scent  in  twenty-four  hours,  and  afterwards  hardly 
ever  lose  it. 

11.     The  Fou7itain-of- Youth  Water. 

Take  Quick  sulphur     ...  1  ounce 

Oliban  and  myrrh,  each  2  ounces 

Amber 6  drachms 

Rose  water      ....  1  quart, 

distil  the  whole  in  a  water  bath,  and  wash  the  face  with 
the  water  every  night  on  retiring  to  rest:  the  following 
morning  wash  yourself  with  weak  barley  water,  and 
your  complexion  will  have  a  youthful  appearance. 

*^*  It  is  also  asserted  that  the  distilled  water  of  green 
pine-apples  takes  away  wrinkles,  and  gives  the  complex- 
ion an  air  of  youth. 


APPENDIX.  199 

12.     To  make  the  Hair  and  Whiskers  curl. 

Take  Olive  oil 1^  ounce 

Spirit  of  Hartshorn       .     1    ounce. 
Mix.     Do  the  hair  thoroughly  with  this  mixture  once 
every  two  days  ;  comb  and  brush  well ;  place  in  the  or- 
der you  would  have,  and  in  ringlets  ;  wear  a  close  tight 
cap  over  it,  and  it  will  form  into  natural  curls. 


FAMILY    PRESCRIPTIONS. 
1.     Antibilious  Pills. 

Take  Soccotrine  aloes       /    n       ,      r^/^ 

>  01  each     20  grains 
lurkey  rhubarb        \ 

Calomel 10  grains 

Oil  of  mint 5  drops, 

Make  into  a  mass,  and  divide  into  twelve   pills.     Dose. 

two  occasionally. 

2.     In  Scorbutic  affections  of  the  Gums. 
Take  infusion  of  roses     ...     6  drachms 
Alum  or  borate  of  soda     .     1  ^  drachm 
Honey  of  roses    ....     1  drachm. 
Make  a  gargle. 

3.     Antacid  Mixture. 

Take  prepared  chalk     .     .     .     .  ^  ounce 

Refined  sugar       ....  3  drachms 

Gum  Arabic,  in  powder  ^  ounce 

Water 1  pint, 


200  APPENDIX. 

Make  a  mixture.  Dose,  two  to  four  table-spoonsful,  in 
heart-burn  or  water  qualm. 

4.     Winter  Cough. 

Take  Oxymel  of  squills         ^ 

Paregoric     .     .     .        >  of  each  two  ounces 

Oil  of  almonds       .        ) 

Syrup  of  violets  ....     1  ounce, 

Mix.  Dose,  from  one  to  two  table-spoonsful  every  four 
hours ;  and  a  dose  when  the  cough  is  troublesome  every 
hour.  The  oil  may  be  omitted,  and  mucilage  of  gum 
arabic  substituted. 

5.     Sickness  at  the  Stomach, 

Take  ''Imperial  Marine  Tincture  "     2  drachms 
Peppermint  water  ....     1  ounce. 

Make  a  draught.  To  be  taken  every  half  hour,  in 
sea-sickness,  nausea,  and  morning  vomitings,  from 
whatever  cause ;  in  the  early  stages  of  pregnancy, 
abuse  of  spirituous  liquors, 
tion,  &c. 


*  The  '  Imperial  Marine  Tincture/  on  the  representation 
of  some  of  the  first  men  of  the  faculty  of  medicine,  has  been 
pronounced  a  specific  in  these  cases. — Ed. 


UCSB  LIBRARY 


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